Person:Alfred Hicks (3)

Online Edition of the Hicksville Illustrated News, October 15, 2004 http://www.antonnews.com/hicksvilleillustratednews/2004/10/15/obituaries/

FRED HICKS

Reflections on His Many Contributions By Victoria A. Caruso On Oct. 1, the Westbury community experienced a great loss with the death of Alfred "Fred" Hicks. A lifelong resident of Westbury, Mr. Hicks died of complications from a rare blood disorder. He was 64 years old.

Mr. Hicks was the president of Hicks Nurseries Inc. of Westbury, the fifth generation of his family to run the business, which was founded in 1853 by his great-great-grandfather, Isaac Hicks. The roots of Fred Hicks' family in America go back to the arrival of Englishman Robert Hicks in 1622. During the 1640s, Robert's son John was among the first to settle the Hempstead Plains.

Fred Hicks took over the running of the nursery in 1963 after attaining a bachelor of science degree in horticulture and master's of business administration in marketing from Cornell University. He brought that training to bear on the business, transforming it from a sleepy, rural nursery to a dynamic, landmark Long Island garden-retailing center.

In 2003, the Westbury garden nursery celebrated its 150th anniversary, making it the oldest nursery and garden center on Long Island. In addition, Hicks Nurseries is also the 71st oldest family-owned company in the United States and the oldest family-owned business on the Island, currently in its sixth generation of family ownership with Mr. Hicks' three children.

Mr. Hicks was a respected and honored leader in his profession, who received numerous awards and accolades during his career. He served as president of the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA), the national trade association of the nursery industry. The association directly represents nearly 2,500 nursery growers, landscape professionals and garden centers and last year, Mr. Hicks was inducted into the ANLA Hall of Fame. In addition, he was president of Garden Centers of America and past president of the Long Island Nurserymen's Association.

At the funeral, Mr. Hicks' sister, Patricia Kleis, said that in a way the nursery was pre-ordained for her brother. She remembered that at the age of 3 Mr. Hicks informed his family that he was too busy to go to school because he was helping grandfather [Henry Hicks] in the nursery and that in later years he had to be dragged away from the garden center to attend Sunday School.

In an e-mail posted on an industry bulletin board, Woodrow Dick, who is affiliated with the nursery industry and was a friend of Mr. Hicks for over 20 years, said, "I have met many good men. I have met a few famous men. I have met only a handful of truly great souls, however, and Fred Hicks was one of them." He continued, "I doubt anything I can say will do Fred justice, but I must try. Perhaps the best way to sum it up is to say that Fred Hicks, quite inexplicably, seemed to have no understanding of the word 'extra' as it is normally used in phrase 'going the extra mile.'"

Bob Dolibois, executive vice president of ANLA, commented about Mr. Hicks' prominence nationally and internationally and his 16 years of volunteer work for the industry. "I never heard him say negative things about his industry," Dolibois said at the funeral.

On a local front, Mr. Hicks was a community leader and was especially interested in health-related programs. He had served as a medic in the United States Army during 1960 and for 25 years, served on the board of Winthrop University Hospital, also serving as its chair. On Oct. 23, Winthrop will name Mr. Hicks as trustee of the year. Mr. Hicks also served on the board of the HMO Vytra Health Care, chaired the Environmental Commission of the Village of Westbury and served on the advisory board of Old Westbury Gardens. He was also past president of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County.

In 1957, Mr. Hicks' parents, Edwin and Eloise Hicks, were among the founders of the Westbury Friends School. Although he was not of age to attend the school at the time it was established, Mr. Hicks and his wife, Marilyn, sent all their children to Westbury Friends and today, their grandchildren are among the students.

"[Mr. Hicks and his family] gave a great deal of their time to not only organize the school, but to build it as well," said Marc W. Jensen, director of development/community outreach at Westbury Friends School. "[He] also gave of his time for the school serving on its board of managers. Fred Hicks loved children and the way they learned."

Each year, through Hicks Nursery, Mr. Hicks made it possible for the students from nursery to sixth grade to pick a pumpkin for the school's campus, said Jensen. The pumpkins were then used in class to solve math problems, follow a science inquiry, explore a writing assignment in each student's journal, and make a jack-o-lantern. "His understanding that children learn best by doing made him a strong advocate for the school," said Jensen, adding that over the years, Mr. Hicks attended several "Special Friends" days at the school during which the students share their classroom with a relative or a good neighbor. "He loved to see such a diverse population working together and making a difference in each other's lives," said Jensen. "He will be sincerely missed."

When asked to reflect on a great memory of his father, Stephen Hicks stated that it would be "hard to summarize a single story or sentiment" about his father. Aside from being a very loving father who put his family first, Stephen Hicks told the Westbury Times, "He really had a wonderful perspective on life; not only for himself, but for those around him. He never once hesitated to extend himself to the family or anyone else. He certainly set a wonderful example in terms of how he acted and lived his life."

Stephen Hicks added, "Growing up, it was easy to take for granted his ethics and the way he handled himself. He never looked to take any shortcuts, even if nobody was looking and he could get away with it. He was a very strong person, but in a quiet sense. His quiet, humble strength was a tremendous example for everyone, both in the family and outside the family. He was someone that was very special."

Mr. Hicks is survived by Marilyn, his wife of 38 years, and their children, Karen and her husband Michael Courts, Stephen and his wife Sabrina, and Marianne and her husband Rob Folk. There are six grandchildren with a seventh due in early November. The family is requesting that any contributions in Mr. Hicks' memory be made to the Alfred Hicks Memorial Fund at the American Friends Service Committee, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102.

1.   Quaker Records: Westbury, New York www.westburyquakers.org.