Rotary Program December 4, 2008

Graham Hicks is a journalist, a family man, and a commentator. He spends most of his time thinking, talking and dreaming about the city in which he has lived and worked for 29 years, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

All of which is expressed in the five-times-a-week town-crier style column "Hicks on Six" in the Edmonton Sun and the Edmonton Sun on-line. "Hicks on Six" is considered Edmonton's best-read column.

Hicks worked at the Ottawa Citizen, Brandon Sun and Edmonton Journal before joining the Edmonton Sun in 1981. After entertainment, news and political writing assignments, he moved to Page Six as "Hicks On Six" in 1992.

In the community, Graham is the founder and spokesman for the annual Edmonton Sun "Adopt-A-Teen" Christmas project, providing Christmas gifts for over 3,000 young teens from low-income Edmonton families.

He oversees the annual Edmonton Sun Christmas Charity Auction, and in 2003 chaired the $2 million Catholic Social Services "Sign of Hope" Campaign. He continues to be involved with Catholic Social Services, Newman Catholic Theological College and other social endeavours.

Graham has received the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for community service, Sun Media's J.D. Creighton Award for lifetime achievement and Grant MacEwan College's Distinguished Citizen Award.

Books include "Making Money The Old-Fashioned Way," co-authored with financial advisor Ron Hiebert of Scotia-McLeod and a series of soft-cover Graham Hicks' Joke Books, with the proceeds going to charity.

Graham is married with three teen-age daughters, in junior high, high school and university.

His absolute favorite pastime? Chronicling the evolution of the city/society in which he lives, hopes to live for the rest of his life, and which he hopes will provide opportunity for his children to lead fulfilled lives, should they choose to stay.