Orton Hicks Jr. '49 succumbed to prostate cancer on Friday, Feb. 6. A founding member of the Aires, he continued to attend rehearsals and shows several times a year and was a beloved alumnus of the group, according to Aires members.
After graduating from Dartmouth in 1949, Hicks settled in the Upper Valley and remained active at the College, notably the John Sloane Dickey Center for International Understanding.
Hicks invited all the Aires to an annual "lilacs" party at his home in Woodstock, Vt. At the party, the Aires and other well-known Upper Valley musicians would perform music from Hicks' youth.
"He was interested in seeing the traditions going on. Even when he didn't like the more popular music we sang he loved to see kids getting excited about music," Aires member Kent Liske '04 said.
Derek Senfit '03, a former Aires member, also fondly remembered Hicks' contribution to the Aires.
"Ort was an inspiration, touching so many people. And like John Ledyard in 1871, 'He too heard a voice crying out in the wilderness. His was the Dartmouth spirit.' And his spirit will live on in all those whom he touched." Senft told The Dartmouth.
Hicks was also involved for many years with the Alumni Glee Club, which brought together alumni from all over the Upper Valley. He considered it an honor to play a prominent role in its gathering, and a great force in maintaining and developing it through the years.
Like his father Orton Hicks Sr., the first vice president of the College, Hicks played an active role at Dartmouth.
He was a member of the Undergraduate Council, served on the Council of Student Organizations, played piano in the Barbary Coast ensemble, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and played both tennis and baseball, although never varsity for either squad.
"Ort was more than an integral part of the history of the Aires; he was someone for whom none of the traditional platitudes do justice, a truly great son of Dartmouth, a man whose unflagging devotion to the College and its sons and daughters we can only aspire to emulate. It will be some time before our group gets over grieving for his loss." Aires member Ian Storey '03 told The Dartmouth.
The "Injunaires" were an outgrowth of the College Quartet, which was founded by Paul Zellar, the glee club director in the early 1960s.
But Hicks was the impetus for the formation of the Injunaires. He founded the group with three other students: Ralph Burgard '49, George Hinners '49 and Gordy Hinners '48.
The Injunaires remained loosely attached to the Glee Club until the 1970s when they officially separated.
