Groundbreaking took place in early June for Hawes Hall, a new classroom building that will be constructed adjacent to the northeast corner of Aldrich Hall, facing Baker Library. Dean Kim B. Clark opened the ceremony by welcoming the Hawes family, including Beverly and Rodney A. Hawes, Jr. (MBA 1969), and their six children and spouses. "Beverly and Rod are a wonderful model for us all," Clark noted. "They have had an outstanding career and life together, raised a fine family, and never lost sight of the importance of helping others. We are grateful for their support and willingness to join the School in creating a truly magnificent educational facility."

Beverly Hawes expressed the family's enthusiasm for the project and the hope that the students who will be educated in Hawes Hall will use the knowledge that they gain "to serve their fellow human beings." Rod Hawes, the retired chairman and CEO of the Connecticut-based Life Re Corporation (purchased in 1998 by Swiss Re of Zurich, Switzerland), also emphasized the importance of service. "Most of the world's problems are talked about by politicians," he noted, "but so many of them are really business problems. With Harvard Business School graduates on every continent, there is such potential for this institution to make a real difference in the world. Our family is proud to be able to play a small role in helping to make that difference."

Three stories high with approximately 50,000 square feet of space, the new structure will share architectural similarities with campus buildings designed by the firm of McKim, Mead & White in the 1920s. Hawes Hall will house eight classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art technology that will, in Clark's words, "stand the test of time, make it possible for us to continue to do great things in our teaching programs, and enable us to take the work that we do to the world."

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