Clifford Hicks Obituary

Clifford B. Hicks, author and editor, husband of Rachel G. Hicks, and a resident of Brevard, NC since 1979 , formerly of Elmhurst, IL, passed away peacefully at home on September 29, 2010. Clifford was born August 10, 1920 in Marshalltown, IA, the son of Nathan L. Hicks and Kathryn Marie Carson Hicks. He graduated cum laude from Northwestern University early in 1942. Upon graduation he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He served more than two years in the Pacific with the 1st Battalion, 21st Marines, third Marine Division. He rose to the rank of Major, and was awarded the Silver Star for action on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. After the war he became a magazine writer and editor. He wrote scores of feature articles for national magazines. He became Editor-in-Chief of Popular Mechanics magazine, and Editor and Publisher of the 22-volume Popular Mechanics Do-It-Yourself Encyclopedia. He also was author of three adult nonfiction books and 16 juvenile fiction books finishing the last one in 2009. Several of his juvenile books were translated into as many as five foreign languages. Two were made into Disney TV movies. He also wrote a juvenile stage play which is being produced by community and children's theaters around the country. One of the greatest pleasures of his life was receiving letters from his fans especially middle-age adults who had read his books as children, and who expressed how deeply those books had affected their lives. He was preceded in death by one brother, Paul Hicks, of Minneapolis, MN. He is survived by his wife, Rachel Reimer Hicks of Brevard; three sons, David of Winfield, IL, Doug (Cathy) of Windsor Heights, IA, and Gary (Sarah) of Marietta, GA. He is also survived by eight grandchildren, Melissa, Ben, T.J., Angela, Samantha, William, Carson, and Keely, and a great-grandchild, Gwendolyn. A memorial service will be held at Symmes "Pretty Place" Outdoor Chapel in Cedar Mountain, NC at 1:00 PM, October 5, 2010. Memorial contributions in his name may be made to the Transylvania County Library, 212 S. Gaston Street, Brevard, NC 28712 or a charity of your choosing.