Hays T. Watkins Jr.

Hays Thomas Watkins (January 26, 1926 – July 29, 2022) was an American businessman and philanthropist, chairman and CEO of CSX Transportation from 1971 until his retirement in 1991.

Early life and education Watkins was born on January 26, 1926, on a farm in Henry County, Kentucky. His father was a banker, laid off during the great depression, and a tobacco farmer. From a young age, he was known for his prowess with numbers. He attended high school in New Castle, graduating in 1942 at age 16.

Wanting to attend business school, he matriculated at Bowling Green Business School (now Western Kentucky University), where he studied accounting for 3 years. He was then drafted into the U.S. Army, where he spent a year stationed in Panama, despite studying Japanese in preparation for the planned invasion of Japan. After leaving the army in 1947, he completed his last year of school at Bowling Green. He then attended Northwestern University in Chicago, earning his MBA.

While in Chicago, his fascination with trains grew. He spent his days taking pictures of the passenger trains going in and out of Chicago.

CSX

He was elected President and CEO of C&O/B&O in 1971, following the retirement of Greg DeVine, sworn in during the April 1971 board meeting. In 1973 he also became the Chairman. As CEO, he transformed the C&O, which by 1975 had become Chessie System, into a multi-modal company, including several more railroad mergers, Texas Gas Transmission, and Sea-Land Service for a brief period. In 1980, he became the CEO of CSX Corporation after a merger with Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, and in 1983 he became the CEO of CSX He retired from CSX in 1991, after a 40 year career in the railroad industry.

Corporate leadership and academia Besides his work in the railroad industry, he had also served as a director at various corporations, including Black & Decker, Westinghouse Electric, Signet Banking. He also served as a rector of the Board of Visitors at William & Mary, and as a member of the Board of Trustees for the school of engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University

Personal life Watkins philanthropic work included several donations to the Fund for William & Mary, W&M Athletics. He and his son Tom have also endowed the Hays T. Watkins Professorship within the Raymond A. Mason School of Business.

Watkins was married to Betty Watkins, a marriage of 72 years when he died. He had one son, H. Thomas (Wendy) Watkins III, and three grandchildren.