As I headed south from the Black Hills of South Dakota, the driving was some of the most difficult I had ever encountered. It wasnt the snow or the ice on this lonely two-lane road that troubled me, it was the uncertainty of what was ahead and the regret of what I was leaving behind that was overcoming me with emotion and clouding my vision with the tears of fear I had made the wrong decision. I had just left behind my job, the woman I loved and everything I was accustomed to en route to take over a roadhouse in the Native Country of the southwest. Looking like a dust bowl refugee in my old Currier pick-up loaded with my tools, my Harley and 140-pound Shepherd dog named Chelsea. I had agreed with my father to go clean up this shit hole of a bar he had built back in the 60s. He had leased it out when we left Arizona. I was in about the 5th grade when we left and over the years it had become infamous. The current lessee had failed to pay the rent for the last couple of years and needed to be removed. Compounding that situation was the over three dozen police calls the local sheriff had received in just the last year. As I look back now those fears, though real, were slightly exaggerated. I was unaware at the time, that lifes experiences had groomed me for what was to come. It would be the best job I ever hated and the worst job I ever loved. Little was I to know, life in hell is hilarious.
The book you are holding is the result of an extraordinary exchange of love. It often showed up as hilarious laughter, enormous tomfoolery, good times, practical jokes, furious frustration expressed at outcomes of sporting events, and other events and noises that some people might misinterpret as not being very loving. It was all love: a love for life, a love for winning, a love for other people. Frieda Sellers said so well, “He had an infinite capacity for love.” But it is not just the love that Tommy Hicks gave to so many who crossed his path. He inspired so many to love him, to be inspired by him, to put aside their own petty complaints and do their best in the face of life’s frustrations. “Tommy Hicks gave much of his life to supporting Duke basketball. He was an unapologetic fan, the kind of fan that creates so much of our success. I’m sorry he is no longer with us, but this book will keep his memory alive and be a great source of joy to so many of his friends and family. When I think of the number of times he rolled his wheelchair into an arena hosting the ACC tournament, it inspires me to keep coaching winning teams at Duke.” Mike Krzyzewski, the winningest coach in the history of Division I College basketball “I have read the early drafts and can tell you that this is an Amazin’ book! Buy it and be ready to laugh and cry harder than you may have in a long time!!” Dr. Tim Luckadoo, retired Vice Provost, N.C. State University Any time I try to tell someone what my friendship with Tommy Hicks was about, I get a lump in my throat. With his journalistic style, keen wit, and close observation, Pat Jobe has undertaken a labor of love for us all: to be our words about Tommy, for whom some of us still seek breath to share his name. Collectively, this memoir shares what we all want to express, we knew Tommy. A man who loved us all so well that we each thought that we were unique, and one who taught us by his every example, to live each day to the fullest and without complaint. Thank you, Pat Jobe, for seeking us out and weaving together our individual journeys and stories. Reading your work is a treasure and a roadmap that connects us, each one to the other, and to life with its ever present challenge and promise, and to a universe where there is memory and love and hope that someday we may talk and laugh again with Tommy Hicks, our beloved with whom we were exceptionally graced to call “friend.” I once asked Tommy, “If you could be an animal, what would you be?” Without hesitation, he responded, “A colt!” I close my eyes now and see him leaping free and high across some wide open space. T.A. Price, poet and author of Bent, 31 Poems
Trading Fours This book chronicles the miraculous unfolding of one man's journey during the magical decades of the 1970s and 80s. It is an American success story of the founding of the famous Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California, by entrepreneur Pat Hicks. An Entrepreneur's Story With no more than an idea and a pitiful few dollars, Pat struck out to find his dream. Hope and Wonder From the first class of 35 students in March of 1977 through its golden years of the 1980's, thousands of hopeful students flooded up the stairs of a funky old building on Holly wood Boulevard with "Hope and Wonder" in their hearts. Here, they entered the company of some of the greatest musicians in history. Becky and Pat Hicks became the 'mom and dad' to a generation of developing young talent. This book's heartwarming, humorous, triumphant, and sometimes tragic stories herald those who came together to create the character, culture, and success of Musicians Institute.
As I headed south from the Black Hills of South Dakota, the driving was some of the most difficult I had ever encountered. It wasn't the snow or the ice on this lonely two-lane road that troubled me, it was the uncertainty of what was ahead and the regret of what I was leaving behind that was overcoming me with emotion and clouding my vision with the tears of fear I had made the wrong decision. I had just left behind my job, the woman I loved and everything I was accustomed to en route to take over a roadhouse in the "Native Country" of the southwest. Looking like a dust bowl refugee in my old Currier pick-up loaded with my tools, my Harley and 140-pound Shepherd dog named Chelsea. I had agreed with my father to go clean up this shit hole of a bar he had built back in the '60s. He had leased it out when we left Arizona. I was in about the 5th grade when we left and over the years it had become infamous. The current lessee had failed to pay the rent for the last couple of years and needed to be removed. Compounding that situation was the over three dozen police calls the local sheriff had received in just the last year. As I look back now those fears, though real, were slightly exaggerated. I was unaware at the time, that life's experiences had groomed me for what was to come. It would be the best job I ever hated and the worst job I ever loved. Little was I to know, life in hell is hilarious.
In the Carolinas, bluegrass is more than music--it's a way of life. The origins of the genre date back to the earliest frontier settlements, and banjo music appeared at dances in Greenville, South Carolina, as early as 1780. The genre was essential to socialization in the textile mills of both states. Old-time music of the Blue Ridge Mountains heavily influenced the sound. Bill Monroe, considered by many to be the father of bluegrass, began his recording career in Charlotte in 1936. Many of the most popular bands, such as the Hired Hands and Briarhoppers, regularly performed live on local television stations in Columbia, Spartanburg and Charlotte. Today, bluegrass festivals fill local calendars across the region. Author Gail Wilson-Giarratano uses interviews and the historic record to tell this unique and compelling story.
The Zoo Keeper’s Daughter By: Pat Alleyne The Zoo Keeper’s Daughter is about a young girl name Milky who lives with her parents. Milky, who lives on the other side of the world, cannot understand why her dreams are tormented with shadows of black cats and a boy with blue eyes, though she is always protected by African elephants. Later in life, she is confronted in her dream by the angel Nadine. Milky has heard her name before, in a séance that was done when she was a very young girl. But, this time, the angel comes with a message: that Milky is the chosen one. Sean’s life is different. At a very young age, he lost his missionary parents in Africa. A war had broken out among the tribes and many lives and animals were consumed by fire and bloodshed. Sean was found in the jungle unconscious and was housed in a hospital tent. After time had passed, the war was over. Sean was lucky to be adopted and brought to England. Growing up in England, he soon discovered he had magical powers, which he kept a secret. There is another thing Sean starts to experience—his dreams of meeting a beautiful brown-skinned girl by the name of Milky. But he found himself laughing and saying it is only a dream. But later, as Sean became older and came to America to complete his education, he finally meets the girl of his dreams. That’s when their adventure started. For those of you who fancy angels, you will most definitely fall in love with Milky and Sean. They will enhance your life with their great adventure.
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