Ira Hicks Jr., a long-time professor of agriculture education at Fort Valley State University in Georgia, died on January 13. He was 92 years old.
A native of Macon County, Georgia, Hicks enrolled at what was then Fort Valley State College in 1945, using money he earned picking apples over the summer for tuition. He earned a bachelor’s degree in science from Fort Valley State in 1949.
Dr. Hicks began his professional career as a vocational agriculture instructor in Georgia before being drafted into the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Germany during the Korean War. After returning to the United States, he resumed his position as a vocational educator before joining the faculty at Fort Valley State in 1971. Dr. Hicks completed an educational doctorate at Virginia Tech in 1976 at the age of 48.
The Ira Hicks Outstanding Agricultural Education Award is given out each year by Fort Valley State Univerity and Ira Hicks Boulevard runs along the southwest side of the university’s campus.
