Will and Dewey have given so much of themselves to Ole Miss and to the state's other institutions of higher learning. The assumption of a position of public service is always a family undertaking. Families make personal sacrifices to enable one member to provide public service, so we are indebted to both Will and Dewey for their contributions. When Hickman was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award, Khayat noted some of Hickman's contributions, such as his encouragement of federal support for state universities through his longtime friend and associate, the late U.S. Congressman Jamie L. Whitten. Hickman's guidance and intercession on the University's behalf resulted in tens of millions of dollars coming to Ole Miss and other Mississippi universities during Rep. Whitten's tenure in Congress.
Education is so very critical.
My association with higher education gave me an opportunity to participate in enhancing the state's universities and colleges. Whenever Ole Miss hosted the College Board in Oxford, Mrs. Hickman always opened the couple's home for events and assisted the Chancellor's Office in planning the visits. We are grateful for his leadership, his political acuity and diplomacy, and his commitment to higher education and The University of Mississippi. Hickman, an Army veteran who served in the European Theater during World War II, is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. His many contributions were recognized early in his career with Oxford's Distinguished Service Award in 1953 and again in 1986, when he was selected Oxford's Citizen of the Year.