At the beginning of last year, I was working on an article that led me to connect with the original Hawk mascot, Jim Brennan ’58. I emailed Brennan, not knowing what to expect because he was in his early 90s. What 90-year-old uses email?

Jim Brennan did.

Within 10 minutes of reaching out, he responded with a very enthusiastic “Okay Mia, Sports Editor, I await your connection to hear my comments!”

The 24 hours between our first exchange and our interview were filled with a number of emails where Brennan shared his biography and told me about his book “HawkTales.” I now have a copy of my own sitting on my shelf.

We spoke on the phone for over 30 minutes during our interview and he told me about his life, his achievements and how The Hawk came to be. He sent follow-up emails at all times of the night with facts about The Hawk he forgot to mention and thought would be worth including in my article. Even once the article was published, we kept in touch via email. I would look forward to a new email in my inbox, always signed “Alpha Hawk” or “Alf ” and followed by the even more endearing “Sent from my iPad.”

It was in that email signature, the constant association of his own identity with the identity of the first Hawk, that I saw how much Brennan prided himself on being The Hawk. Seventy years removed from the suit, Brennan was still one with The Hawk. The two were synonymous; you couldn’t have one without the other. It was a legacy he carried with him.

During our initial phone call, he even told me this, saying that when his daughters asked about what he is most proud of in his life, his long list of achievements comes second to The Hawk.

“Without hesitation, I said I’m most proud about The Hawk because The Hawk lives. The Hawk is still living. And it’s the spirit of The Hawk, spirit of St. Joe’s, that I see in The Hawk. That’s what it means to me,” Brennan said.

He embodied the very phrase “The Hawk Will Never Die” because he carried the spirit of The Hawk with him throughout his life, and passed it on to countless others, from those who wear the suit, to alums, students and members of the community.

While Brennan died in June, The Hawk he brought to life continues to flap on, and with each flap, Brennan’s legacy lives on as well.

Jim Brennan’s legacy Will Never Die.