Introduction

Biography

Ira was the son of Charles Wes­ley Hicks, Sr. and Su­san Ker­ran­hap­puech Col­tharp Hicks, hus­band of Cleo Wolfe (mar­ried 1905), and bro­ther of Judge Sue Kerr Hicks.

Sue Hicks was an as­sist­ant at­tor­ney to Will­iam Jen­nings Bry­an in the fa­mous 1925 Scopes Mon­key Tri­al, and is said by some to have in­spired Shel Sil­ver­stein’s po­em and John­ny Cash’s song A Boy Named Sue.

Ira grew up in Ma­di­son­ville, Ten­nes­see, and at­tend­ed the Bo­li­var Aca­de­my there. He felt called to preach the Gos­pel: Af­ter gra­du­at­ing from Hi­was­see Col­lege in Ma­di­son­ville, he at­tend­ed Moo­dy Bi­ble In­sti­tute in Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois, to pre­pare for a ca­reer in ev­an­gel­ism.

For a num­ber of years, Ira was ac­tive as a sing­ing ev­an­gel­ist. Ev­en­tu­al­ly, he joined the Pres­by­ter­ian Church, and was a pas­tor in Toms Ri­ver, New Jer­sey, for two de­cades.