The benevolence of Lowell Hawthorne knew no bounds.

This was evident at The University of the West Indies (UWI) undercroft last Saturday where relatives and friends shared fond memories at a sombre candlelight vigil for a “great man” who committed his life to helping others.

Hawthorne, co-founder and CEO of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery and Grill, reportedly committed suicide on December 2 at his Bronx factory, where well-wishers also gathered to pay tribute last Saturday.

Though there are many questions surrounding his death, the numerous tributes focused on his commitment to education and helping others.

Oberlin High School, his alma mater, was one beneficiary that, according to a teacher, looked forward to Hawthorne’s annual visits.

“When he walked on the campus, we saw greatness. He was kind because he gave to the school and he lifted the morale of the kids,” Terryann Robinson said.

“He was a very good man, very generous and he made his alma mater proud,” she noted, pointing out that Hawthorne always offered scholarships, awards and incentives to the students on each visit.

Making reference to his warm smile and down-to-earth persona, the school teacher said Hawthorne would be deeply missed by the school family, but encouraged his relatives to remember the life he lived.

“It doesn’t matter how long he lived, all that matters is how he lived, and he lived well. He has lived an exemplary life and it has impacted hundreds, thousands, if not millions of lives in his community, the school, Jamaica, United States and the whole world,” the educator said.

The UWI attested to this goodness and commitment to education when Pro Vice-Chancellor Ambassador Richard Bernal remembered Hawthorne as a man who contributed greatly to the institution.

“Although he did not attend the UWI he was a great supporter of this institution. Indeed, his work was so outstanding on behalf of the institution that he was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree in 2012. Since 2010, Golden Krust, through his instigation, awarded five scholarships to the Mona campus and indeed he was sensitive to the fact that the young men were not doing as well as the ladies and insisted that at least one of the five be given to a young Jamaican man,” Bernal said.

He noted that in addition, Hawthorne was an active member of the American Foundation of the University of the West Indies (AFUWI), which provides funding to the institution’s students and special projects.

Bernal boasted that since Hawthorne’s involvement on the foundation’s board, it has more than doubled the number of scholarships offered to UWI students.

“When he took over, the foundation was providing 15 scholarships a year to the UWI and at the time of his unfortunate and untimely death the foundation provided 50 scholarships; so he brought a great deal of energy and initiative to the foundation which was done to the benefit of the UWI,” Bernal explained.

He also lauded Hawthorne as a man who “truly loved education” and saw it as a tool that drives social, individual and economic development and transformation. While noting his tribute was on behalf of Vice-Chancellor Hilary Beckles, he expressed condolence to Hawthorne’s family, friends and colleagues.

Archibald Campbell, former bursar to the institution, said: “He had a real passion for students because of his desire for education, and that is why his resources were always made available.”

For recipients of the Golden Krust Scholarship, Hawthorne was a hero who gave them the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

“What he has achieved is monumental, but I’m most inspired by his heart of giving,” Cavel Campbell, a nursing student at the UWI, stated. “The value of an education is something I’ve understood from a very tender age, and Mr Hawthorne, I believe, understood what that meant for many of us. He chose to invest in so many of our lives because he believed in the dream within us and that despite severe economic hardships we are determined to break the cycle of poverty and make our country a better place.”

For her the scholarship came just in time earlier this year, when she worried about how she would cover her tuition.

“I am comfortable speaking on behalf of the 34 recipients — myself making the 35th — that Mr Hawthorne’s impact on our lives has been nothing short of Golden,” she said. “He truly is an inspiration to me and I pray that one day I’ll be able to assist students in the way Mr Hawthorne has assisted me.”

Kenzil King, another scholarship recipient, said: “For many of us he was like a father figure. Personally, this year has been trying, and with the passing of Mr Hawthorne I can say that I have now lost two fathers, with my biological father passing earlier this year.”

He pointed out that between 2010 and 2012 his life was impacted “in the best possible way” when Golden Krust and AFUWI made it possible for him to complete his undergraduate studies.

To King, Hawthorne was a man “oozing with benevolence” who partly inspired his (King’s) intention to launch his own scholarship for banking and finance students in the coming year.

“I felt it necessary to give back in this way as a recipient of his benevolence,” the business banking development officer at Scotiabank told the Jamaica Observer.