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 has written 13 juvenile fiction books, including the Alvin Fernald and Peter Potts series. Additionally, he has written 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 enjoys a satisfying retirement in the mountains of western North Carolina. He and Rachel, his wife of 60 years, have three children and eight grandchildren. Mr. Hicks enjoys traveling, woodworking, making toys for his grandchildren and playing April Fool's Day jokes. He also takes pleasure in hearing from fans, young and old.
