Dr. Ira Hicks was an icon in the field of agricultural education. He inspired students, committed himself to continuing education and lifelong learning, served his community and impacted the way agricultural education was taught across the state of Georgia. During Black History Month, observed each February, we honor Hicks and his lifetime of service to agriculture.
Ira Hicks was born in Macon, Ga., in 1928. As one of 10 children born to sharecroppers, he spent his childhood helping in cotton fields. After high school, Hicks attended Fort Valley State College in Fort Valley, Ga., paying his tuition with money he earned picking apples. He earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education in 1949.
Hicks was drafted into the U.S. Army after graduation from college. He served in Germany for one year and received an honorary discharge after a tank explosion. Hicks returned to the classroom in 1953.
Hicks spent 22 years teaching agriculture in Georgia. He was active as an FFA advisor, and 12 of his students served as state or national officers in FFA or New Farmers of America (NFA), a national organization that provided young African-American men with vocational, social and recreational activities. The small gasoline engine class he developed was implemented across the state. During segregation, Hicks served as president of the Black agricultural teachers association in Georgia.
Education was important to Hicks. In 1961, he earned a master’s degree from Tuskegee University and graduated from Virginia Tech with a doctoral degree in 1976. Hicks joined the faculty at Fort Valley State College as a professor of agricultural education and was later promoted to dean of instruction in the School of Agriculture, Home Economics, and Allied Programs, where he remained until his retirement in 1985.
Hicks holds honorary degrees in NFA and FFA. In honor of his career and accomplishments, Hicks was inducted into the Fort Valley State University Alumni Hall of Fame in 2001. Georgia Agricultural Education officials named a cabin at Camp John Hope, a Georgia FFA camp, in his honor.
Ira Hicks Jr. died January 13, 2021, at the age of 92. He is remembered for his dedication to agricultural education and his longstanding commitment to service. Hicks lived according to his motto: “Service is the rent that one pays for living.”
