“James was the greatest example of what a good human being is supposed to be,” John said. James
worked for the L and N Depot for 56 years, beginning at the age of 12. He followed the railroad to
Cincinnati, where John, his brother Sherman Jr., and his sister Marjorie were born.
James often returned to Murphy to bring others back with him to Cincinnati. According to
Hawshaw, he wanted them to have opportunities for education. The Sudderths, Simpsons and the
Armstrongs were all connected. At the time there were no black highschools.
A personal experience led John to commit himself to a calling at a young age. He recalled trying to
open a savings account in Cincinnati, only to learn that the bank had a policy prohibiting Black
customers. A Jewish man, both a customer of the bank and a friend of John’s, intervened and
persuaded bank officials to change their policy.
Because of this incident, Hawshaw made banking his career, fighting against discrimination for 40
years. “I was the first Black teller in a non-minority bank in Cincinnati, at First National Bank,”
Hawshaw said. He later became president of Magnolia Federal Savings in 1977 and, in 1988,
president of the American League of Financial Institutions in Washington, D.C.