Submitted by Kyle Isaack, associate director development

Ann was born on June 28, 1942, to Robert Lewis and Leah Kay Lewis Alsobrook. She was raised on the Grandview Guernsey Farms in Pfafftown, North Carolina, by her father after her mother’s untimely death. From an early age, Ann loved exploring nature and learning. She graduated from Duke University and went on to obtain a doctorate in chemistry from Vanderbilt University.  

While at Vanderbilt, Ann experienced a different kind of chemistry, meeting Wesley Vernon Hicks Jr. whom she married and spent the next 55 years with. They settled in Northern Kentucky where Ann taught as a faculty member in the Chemistry Department at Thomas More University for 31 years. During her tenure, she was twice awarded teacher of the year (1979 & 1993) and was an enthusiastic supporter of women sports – especially her beloved women’s basketball team. 
 
Always on the go, Ann enjoyed spending time with her husband, extended family, and numerous pets – playing Pollyanna and canasta, bird watching, canoeing, and traveling to see beautiful landscapes and wildlife. At home, she spent as much time as her knees would allow in her garden and was a member of Highland United Methodist Church in Fort Thomas where she is remembered as always having a warm smile, kind words, and willingness to share in a good laugh. 

Ann passed away from Alzheimer’s Disease on Jan. 16, 2024, leaving behind her husband, Vern, son Donald Hicks, daughter Polly Hicks and her husband Michael Stringer, granddaughters Lucille and Merittia Stringer, as well as extended family, and various and sundry friends. 

Biology professor and alumna, Shannon Galbraith-Kent, Ph.D., recalls, “I take great honor in doing my best to help continue the tradition of care and craft for education – that was shown early to me by the example of Dr. Hicks.”  Alumnus and biology professor Joe Qualls, Ph.D., adds, “It was Ann’s ability to take really complex organic chemistry content and explain it in accessible ways, that made the greatest impact on me… I modeled a lot of my own teaching style based on the example Dr. Hicks showed us.”  

As a tribute to Ann’s legacy, Vern, friends, and family created the Dr. Ann A. Hicks Memorial Scholarship. We invite you to be a part of this tribute to an outstanding faculty member through a gift as we strive to reach the $25,000 mark necessary for this scholarship to be fully endowed and continue to support students into perpetuity. Thank you for your consideration and generosity. 

To read a memorial to Dr. Hicks by Dr. Shannon Galbraith-Kent, CLICK HERE.