Robert Edward "Bob" Hicks

Obituary of Robert Edward "Bob" Hicks

Robert Edward Hicks passed away in Atlanta, Georgia on July 22, 2025. Bob is survived by his beloved wife of almost 33 years, Micheline Hicks, his daughter Dekie Hicks and his son Conrad Hicks. He is also survived by his sister Ida Jane Bailey (Doug), brother John Hicks (Virginia) and numerous nieces and nephews, and many beloved relatives from Micheline's family in Geneva, Switzerland including her sister Kathy (Anne-Willem) and her sons Michael (Anne-Sophie) and Steven (Florence). Bob was predeceased by his first wife Mary Brooks "Brooksie" Hicks as well as his brothers Jim, Tom, and Bill Hicks, and sister Margaret "Mollie" Munn.

Bob was born in Rome, Georgia on January 13, 1926 to Palmer Whitehead Hicks and Margaret Wicker Hicks. The family moved to Dublin, Georgia in 1932 when the Lindale Mill closed. Bob graduated from Dublin High School in 1943, was accepted to Mercer University and attended briefly before joining the Merchant Marines. Shortly thereafter, he contracted rheumatic fever and was discharged. After he recuperated, Bob joined the Navy, serving as a signalman on the USS Kermit Roosevelt in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.

After his discharge in June of 1946, Bob re-entered Mercer University, where he met his future wife, Mary Brooks Popkins, whom he married December 20, 1948. Bob graduated in June of 1950 with a Bachelor of Arts, Law Major and then entered the Mercer School of Law, graduating in June 1951. He was admitted to the Georgia Bar September 1, 1950. His first job was as an attorney in the Law Department of Georgia and he was promoted to Assistant Attorney General where he represented the Georgia Department of Agriculture. He later joined the Atlanta firm of Gambrell, Harlan, Barwick & White and relocated to New York City where he served for two years as an aide and legal counsel for Eastern Airlines Chairman Eddie Rickenbacker. Bob and Brooksie then returned to Atlanta, where he practiced law with several firms before leaving Heyman & Sizemore in 1977 to form Hicks, Maloof, & Campbell with five other lawyers, Ted Maloof, Charles Campbell, Bob Bartlett, Chuck Wilson, and Bob Tritt. He was senior counsel with Long, Aldridge & Norman and later McKenna, Long & Aldridge, after Hicks, Maloof & Campbell merged into Long, Aldridge & Norman in 1998.

Bob practiced law for over six decades. He loved his work and was a "lawyer's lawyer" with a true appreciation for what it means to practice law. With his legal acuity and ethical views, Bob was a well-respected mentor to many others over the course of his career.

Bob served as Editor-in-Chief of the Mercer Law Review, 1950-51, and later served as President of the Association of Interstate Commerce Commission Practitioners (1974), President of the Old War Horse Lawyers Club in Atlanta, was a member of the Lawyers Club of Atlanta, and was a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He also served for many years in a volunteer capacity on the Bioethics Committee of Egleston Children's Hospital. He was profiled in the Journal of Southern Legal History, volume XV, numbers 1 & 2, 2007.

When not at work practicing law, Bob enjoyed sailing (in his younger days!) horseback riding and woodworking. He took great pleasure in creating a wonderful family getaway at the Farm in Lyerly, Georgia and entertaining friends and relatives at his home in Marietta. And more than anything, he loved to read and tell stories. When he was a teenager, he fell in love with the work of Joseph Conrad. It was that love that led him to his interest in sailing and in joining the Navy over the other branches of service.

A memorial service to celebrate his life is planned for September 13, 2025 at Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church, 4495 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta, GA 30066, at 1 p.m., with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Mercer School of Law Endowed Scholarships Fund, Mercer School of Law, ATTN: Jill Kinsella, 1021 Georgia Avenue, Macon, GA 31207.

Gifts can also be made online at: https://law.mercer.edu/giving/150-for-all/

Hicks, Robert Edward "Bob"