Ralph L. Hicks

Ralph L. Hicks works primarily in the areas of real property law and estate planning. He has extensive experience in the acquisition and development of real property for residential and commercial purposes. He served two terms as a member of the Council of the Real Property Section of the North Carolina Bar Association.

Mr. Hicks enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Corps while in college, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant pilot in March 1944. He served as a B-24 pilot and flight commander in Europe during World War II, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Purple Heart. He was commissioned as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1945, and graduated from Mississippi State University in May, 1947, with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Special Honors.

In October, 1947, he accepted a regular commission in the U. S. Army Air Corps (later the United States Air Force) and returned to active duty. He retired on June 30, 1965, and accepted a position with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on July 1, 1965. He was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and retired from NASA on June 30, 1978 to attend Wake Forest University School of Law. He graduated with honors in 1981.