Lester Hicks

Regina Brett, then Vivian Greene stated “No matter how you feel, get up, show up, and never give up”. “Life is not about waiting for a storm to pass. It is about learning how to dance in the rain”. Lester Brian Hicks joined an eclectic group of athletes recruited from other sports to play for the legendary coach, Jack Lengyel at Marshall University. Hicks cashed in on his football talent by attracting prominent suitors from the Big 10, Big 12, Pacific 12, Notre Dame, Maryland, Syracuse, and others before, and after, his stint at Ellsworth Junior College in Iowa Falls, Iowa.

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Mr. Hicks earned an Associate of Arts degree from Ellsworth Junior College; a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degree from Marshall University. And a Doctorate of Philosophy and Humane Letters and Chaplaincy License from Global Oved Dei Seminary & University. He made the dean’s list several times at Marshall University and Ellsworth Junior College where he was listed in Who’s Who amongst Students in American Junior College.

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Mr. Hicks, a recently retired staff safety engineer, was employed with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. His experience at Marshall shortly after an ill-fated plane crash in November 14, 1970, cultivated life lessons that he brought to work each day, and in fact drove him to his career choice.

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He is active in his community, sharing the benefits of his experience on multiple fronts. He serves as a mentor to troubled youth and teens in Marietta City Schools-Performance Learning Center, teaches Sunday school, served on the Cobb Literacy Council to decrease the dropout rate and improve literacy in his county for several years. He also served on Lockheed Martin’s Employee Communication Forum to improve Company relations amongst all employees while increasing productivity.

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Mr. Hicks earned twenty-one awards from the State of Georgia for his pollution prevention and community service efforts during an eight-year period. He received two Best Practice Awards for his Non-hazardous Waste Recycling Program and two additional Best Practice Awards for his Machine Guarding Program from internal and external auditors. He coordinated and implemented recycling programs at his church and Atlanta Metro School Systems; reduced non-hazardous waste to landfill by 72 percent at Lockheed Martin. Mr. Hicks served on the Georgia Recycling Coalition where he made several contributions in recycling throughout the State of Georgia.

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He was appointed as Lockheed Martin’s Safety Coordinator for the North and South Campuses where he decreased the incidence rate and property damage significantly while driving down the Worker’s Compensation cost.

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Mr. Hicks has been on the front page of the Atlanta Business Chronicle twice and has been featured in national news, television, and advertising publications. He served on speaker panels at Environment, Safety and Health Conferences in Texas, Colorado, and Georgia. He lectures undergraduate and graduate engineering, nursing and safety students at Marshall University.

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Marshall University named Hicks as one of its 125 Most Impactful Black Athletes during the 20th Century including all sports. He received the prestigious Pathfinder Humanitarian Award from Steubenville, Ohio. In addition to that, he was honored with a community service and sports award from Lockheed Martin. He holds four United States patents. 

Hicks is the author of “Against All Odds-4th Down and Forever…How the 1970 Marshall University Plane Crash Inspired Me”.

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He has shared Marshall University football program “Ashes to Glory” and his life stories on talk radio throughout the nation. Mr. Hicks’ life story, “Finding Purpose Amongst Tragedy” was featured in Lockheed Martin’s Employee Spotlight News, was one of the most read stories in his Company’s history. Mr. Hicks also appeared on the Company’s television news telecast and appeared as a special guest on the Business Unit President’s world-wide webcast. He received Marshall University‘s most covenanted Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2016. 

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Nominated to Marshall University's Board of Director's July 1, 2021.