- Paula Fickes Hawkins was born on January 24, 1927 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. She was married to Walter Eugene Hawkins. She died on December 4, 2009 in Orlando, Florida, USA.
- SpouseWalter Eugene Hawkins(September 5, 1947 - December 4, 2009) (her death, 3 children)
- Was the first woman elected to a full Senate term without being preceded in politics by a husband or father. She was also the first woman to be a senator from Florida.
- Was the leading sponsor of the Missing Children's Act of 1982, which requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to enter descriptive information on missing children into a national computer database that can be used by law enforcement agencies across the country. (That year, she shocked her colleagues by disclosing in a Congressional hearing that she had been molested as a child by a neighbor.).
- In 1985, participated in the Record Label Hearings of the Senate's Commerce Committee, where the issue of labeling musical songs was examined, after the PRMC initiative. During the hearings, Hawkins had a notable altercation with testifying musician Frank Zappa, who eventually invited the senator to his home to see first-hand "what kind of toys" his children are playing with.
- Conservative Republican US Senator (1981-1987).
- An exchange between US Senator Hawkins and Frank Zappa during 1985's Record Label Hearings of the Senate's Commerce Committee. Senator Hawkins: I would be interested to see what toys your kids ever had. Frank Zappa: Why would you be interested? Senator Hawkins: Just as a point of interest. Frank Zappa: Well, come on over to the house. I will show them to you.
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