Clifford B. Hicks was born in 1920 in Marshalltown, Iowa, a town similar to Riverton, Indiana (where the Alvin Fernald series is set). He started writing professionally in high school, where he served as a correspondent for the Des Moines Register. He graduated with honors from Northwestern University, then served as a U.S. Marine in the South Pacific during World War II, where he earned the Silver Star. After the war, he joined the staff of Popular Mechanics magazine. Mr. Hicks started with Popular Mechanics as a writer and editor, covering science and technology issues. Eventually he served as Editor-In-Chief of the magazine, then edited books and encyclopedias for them until his retirement. In addition to his responsibilities at Popular Mechanics, Mr. Hicks wrote science, health and technology stories for several other national magazines.
Mr. Hicks wrote 14 juvenile fiction books, including the Alvin Fernald and Peter Potts series. Additionally, he wrote one juvenile non-fiction book and adapted one of his books (Alvin Fernald, Mayor for a Day) into a play. Two of his books (The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald and Alvin Fernald, Mayor for a Day) were adapted by Disney for a two part episode of The Wonderful World of Disney.
Mr. Hicks enjoyed many years of satisfying retirement in the mountains of western North Carolina. He passed away on 29-Sept-2010, less than a year after publishing his final juvenile fiction book (Alvin Fernald's Incredible Buried Treasure). He is survived by Rachel, his wife of 65 years, their three children, eight grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.
