Jason Conrad Hawes (1971– ) is a Paranormal investigator and founder of TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society). In 2004, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, co-founder of TAPS, became the stars of Ghost Hunters, a popular reality ghost investigation program on Sci-Fi Channel featuring the TAPS team.

Hawes was born on December 27, 1971, in Canandaigua, New York, one of six children. After graduating from high school in 1990, he attended New England Tech, receiving an automotive degree in 1995. He worked as an auto technician and then changed fields to computer systems. In 2000, he went to work for Roto-Rooter plumbing company and presently holds a supervisor position.

Also in 2000 Jason Hawes married Kristen Cornell, his high school sweetheart. The couple has five children and lives in West Greenwich, Rhode Island. Among Hawes’s outside interests are writing, photography, camping, fishing, hiking, martial arts, music, cooking, and sports. He has written two screenplays, a science fiction thriller, and a science fiction fantasy.

Hawes was drawn to the paranormal because of a personal experience at age 18. The experience changed him from a “total nonbeliever” into a believer and challenged his Catholic upbringing. He started researching the paranormal in order to understand more about it and about his experience, the details of which he prefers to keep private. His research led him to John Zaffis, with whom he worked on some cases of hauntings and Possession.

Hawes formed Rhode Island Paranormal in 1990. After meeting Grant Wilson, he changed its name to The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS). TAPS attracted an increasing number of requests for investigations and benefitted from media publicity. The work and attention were instrumental in the selection of TAPS for the SciFi channel’s reality series, Ghost Hunters, which debuted in 2004.

Hawes’s primary goals are to help people with paranormal situations and to improve the credibility of paranormal research. He views Ghosts as disembodied shell energy that remains after death. Most alleged Hauntings, as well as other seemingly paranormal phenomena, can be explained naturally. The true paranormal will eventually be integrated into our worldview of what is normal. The nature of the paranormal may never be fully solved, but can be better understood through continuing research and technological advances.

In addition to the television show, Hawes produces and stars in a radio show, Beyond Reality, with Wilson. He is active in the media and makes numerous personal appearances.

SOURCE:

The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits – Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – September 1, 2007

Bibliography:

• Hawes, Jason; Wilson, Grant; Friedman, Michael Jan (2007). Ghost Hunting: True Stories of Unexplained Phenomena from The Atlantic Paranormal Society. New York: Pocket Books.
• Hawes, Jason; Wilson, Grant; Friedman, Michael Jan (2009). Seeking Spirits: The Lost Cases of The Atlantic Paranormal Society. New York: Pocket Books.
• Hawes, Jason; Wilson, Grant; Dokey, Cameron (2010). Ghost Hunt: Chilling Tales of the Unknown. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
• Hawes, Jason; Wilson, Grant; Dokey, Cameron (2011). Ghost Hunt 2: MORE Chilling Tales of the Unknown. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
• Hawes, Jason; Wilson, Grant; Waggoner, Tim (2011). Ghost Trackers: A Novel. Pocket Books.
• Hawes, Jason; Wilson, Grant; Friedman, Michael Jan (2011). Ghost Files: The Collected Cases from Ghost Hunting and Seeking Spirits. Gallery Books.
• Hawes, Jason; Wilson, Grant; Waggoner, Tim (2012). Ghost Town: A Novel. Gallery Books.

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