One of the most interesting and influential men in Randy Schulkers’ life is someone he’s never actually met.

In fact, the man is a fictional character who goes by the name Seckatary Hawkins, or Seck for short.

Of course, to say the two have never met is not quite the case: Schulkers’ grandfather, Robert Franc Schulkers, created the Seckatary Hawkins character, and both men were a presence in Schulkers’ life from his earliest memory.

“He had quite a sense of humor,” says Schulkers of his grandfather, who began writing short stories about a short, cherubic young man with a kind heart and an untamed cowlick shortly after taking a job at the Cincinnati Inquirer in 1911.

The stories, which featured Gregory “Seckatary” Hawkins as the leader of the Fair and Square Club, became wildly popular with children and spawned fan clubs all over the world. Soon came pins, toys and other memorabilia all based on the character.

One of the most famous references to Seckatary Hawkins came in Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, in which the main character’s father read the books to his children.

Randy Schulkers has even corresponded with Lee, a loyal fan of the books herself.

Schulkers says only about one quarter of the club’s members are children; the rest are adult readers who may remember the books from their childhood or appreciate the life lessons built into each story.

“They build character,” said Schulkers of the books, “and people who grew up with Seckatary Hawkins like to pass that on.”

And what if the books should somehow find a newfound audience in today’s youth, who have already shown a willingness to embrace books about lovable characters such as Harry Potter?

Schulkers smiled.  “I’d be overjoyed.”

For more information on Seckatary Hawkins, or on how to obtain reprinted copies of the book, visit http://www.seckatary.com or contact Randy Schulkers at .