Deceased October 14, 2016

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50th Reunion Book Entry 

In Memory

Don Hicks died last Oct. 14 of sepsis following aortic valve replacement surgery. He was 79, a Boston native raised in Worcester and a graduate of Governor Dummer Academy. At Amherst, Don was a member of AD and a four-sport letterman: basketball, soccer, squash and tennis.

In eulogizing his father, Jeff Hicks ’88 said family was the guiding light of his life and career, organized “so he could be home for family dinner, available whenever needed and present” in his and his sister Laura’s life. He described his mother, Marilyn, as “the uncontested apple of Don’s eye for their 55 years of marriage,” a relationship that “set a standard for what it means to commit one’s self to another person.” They had met in 1960 and married in 1961.

After graduation, Don worked for General Electric and then for the CBS Miami affiliate in advertising sales. In 1972 he founded his own advertising agency, which he built into a major regional agency and ran until retiring in 1998.

Jeff says his father gravitated to kids and loved spending time in their company. Not just his own kids and seven grandkids, or friends’ kids, but also those he ran into at a supermarket checkout or while visiting a rural village in Kenya while indulging his love of travel.

Don’s personality “was rooted in hope and positivity,” Jeff said in his eulogy, and that’s how he came to be in our class. When Don applied to Amherst, Dean Wilson called his father Everett ’29 suggesting that he might be a better candidate at another school, but Don asked for a chance to prove himself. Four successful years later, as he picked up his diploma, Dean Wilson shook his hand and said, “I guess I was wrong; what you cannot measure is determination.”

Claude E. Erbsen ’59

50th Reunion

Places I've called home:
Worcester, MA ('37-'59); Atlanta, GA ('61-'65); Coral Gables, Fl ('61 - present); Waynesville, NC '98 - present (summer only)

My mentors while at Amherst:
My father, Everett M. Hicks '29; Eli Marsh, Atherton Sprague, Arnold Arons, and Bucky Salmon

Donald J. Hicks
Memorable Amherst highlights:
1.) Passing Math/Physics with a "D" (no summer school);
2.) Scoring my only goal in a soccer game when my inbound, indirect kick from center field landed in a puddle, hit the goalie and went into the goal.
3.) The great honor of representing Amherst with Tom Richardson in the New York soccer tryouts for the Pan American Games.
4.) Bob Kieter '57 vs. Rex Aubrey of Yale in the Amherst pool for the world 50 and 100 yd swim records. (each won one event and set world records in each);
5.) Getting an "A" in second semester of "Evolution" after nearly flunking the first semester. (While doing this exercise, hundreds of memories have flooded into view including: the Morrow singing-in the-stairway group; the warm friendships at AD, walking to class in the snow, sharing defense in soccer as fullback with my brother, David, at halfback and doubles partners in tennis, dating at Smith/ Mt. Holyoke, bonfires at Congress, the intense rivalry of The Little Three, Ra Ha's, plus the friendship and support of our deceased, good friend, Don Linton. 

Amherst made this difference to me:
I believed it an honor to have studied and competed with others who I considered to be some of "the best of the best." In addition, successfully completing an Amherst education was a family tradition. I was the 5th and my son, Jeff, was the 7th in my family to graduate from Amherst. I just hope that my grandchildren might be afforded the same opportunity.


Significant life impacts:
1.) 47 year marriage to Marilyn; 2.) Running my own company for 25 years; 3.)Two great children: Laura (Dartmouth 'BS/Washington & Lee law School) and Jeffrey (Amherst '87 / Harvard Business School) plus seven grandchildren (incl. set of triplets) ages 6 to 16years. 4.) Jeff & Laura Roberts & family (4 grandchildren) living next door for past 10 years. 5.) Jeff & Charlotte Hicks & family living just 3 blocks away (triplets} for past 6 years. Their choices, not ours, but we love the result.

Memorable travel:
China, Africa, Scandinavia, Russia, most of Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Turkey, Kuwait, Egypt, Canadian Rockies, Alaska, most of U.S. Some has been one with our children and some since retirement.

Hobbies:
Tennis, golf, boating; plus, in retirement, teaching same to grandchildren in addition to coaching their grade school, soccer teams. The latter, especially, has been a real joy! As I look ahead, travel and hobbies plus helping my grandchildren are where I want to concentrate my efforts.

Donald J. Hicks
Major lifetime choices:
When living in Atlanta, I traveled 80% of my time. Marilyn & I then made two decisions: limit my travel and move to Miami. Both were accomplished and have positively influenced our lives ever since. Next, we decided that I wanted to run my own business which was accomplished in 1972 with the founding of Hicks & Associates, Inc., a full service advertising and marketing agency, from which I retired in 1998. We also decided, 10 years ago, to buy a summer home in Waynesville, NC, a true enhancement to our retirement years.

I am ambivalent about "getting older." Sure, I'd love to be able to do physically exactly what I did 30 years ago but, at the same time, it's nice to know that you have run the race and have done as well or better than anticipated. Would I do it all again? I sure would!!
I would also like to stay around to see my grandchildren make their life selections and to see their accomplishments.
I am totally retired and have been since 1998. A great move! (at least for me)

Health: So far, we've been very lucky. Manageable problems but nothing major.

And I did manage to quit smoking 31 years ago which may rank right at the top of my lifetime accomplishments. (Thanks, Al Lipton for your remarks at our 45th.)
These are the folks (plus the wonderful grandkids above) who have made my trip so memorable "on the blacktop road of life". We have, truly, been blessed.

 

Donald J. Hicks