r . " eature Major Hicks in last year at Hazleton Campus By Terry McCarthy For the past three years, a southern gentleman has been with us at Hazleton. Major Ralph Hicks has been an instructor of Army ROTC for the past three years, and it is with much regret that we must bid him farewell. Maj. Hicks is being transferred by the Army to Alabama where he will be involved in avia tion research and development and doing test flights on new Army aircraft. Maj. Hick's career has been one filled with travel and adventure. When the Major's number came up in the draft in 1965, he decided he would have some con trol over his destiny. He had a desire to learn how to fly, so he enrolled in the Army flight school. It is there that he became a helicopter pilot. Upon graduation from flight school, Maj. Hicks serv ed two tours in Vietnam. Since Vietnam, Maj. Hicks has been stationed in Texas, Florida, West Germany and Alabama. With his arrival to Hazleton, Major Hicks was presented with his first teaching job. "Most of my career has been in aviation except for my tour in Germany and here," said Hicks. Maj. Hicks seems to hold both the students and teachers at Highacres in high regard. "I have en joyed my tour here both personally and profes sionally. I have most en joyed working with the students and the student activity that ROTC of fers. I have also enjoyed meeting and working with the faculty and staff. This has been an excellent campus due to the environment here. It has made my job easier and I think it has con tributed to the success of ROTC at Penn State." The Hicks family cur rently resides in Con yngham. The Maj. met his wife, Arline, while she was attending the University of Tennessee and they have had two children, Gregg, who is 11, and Jeff, who is 9. If Ralph Hicks had his life to live over again, he is certain that he would join the Army. Stated, Hicks, "I have enjoyed my work and the variety of jobs I have done. I don't think you can find that in many jobs. "The job that Maj. Ralph Hicks has mown ' love BEIM N4 li t Major Ralph Hicks (center) discusses drill procedures with S.F.C. Nemith (left) and Yvonne Cormier (right). Hicks is in his last year of running the ROTC program at the Hazleton Campus. will take him to yet another state with a totally nSw set of respon sibilities. k Highacres I would like to wish him the best of luck in the land of Bear Bryant and the Crimson Tide. We will certainly miss him here. Major Hicks (right) has trained students like John Lewis (left) and other members of the ROTC pro gram pictured in the background. MAJ. RALPH HICKS Page
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