Dicky Michael Hickman

Dicky Michael Hickman was born February 24, 1943, in Dallas, Texas to Joseph Weldon and Texana Christine Brown Hickman and his two older brothers Bob and Jack Hickman.

Dicky was a native Dallasite where he attended Adamson High School and graduated in 1961 where he maintained outstanding friendships with many of his high school friends.  After high school, Dicky joined the United States Navy in 1961. Following an honorable discharge, he attended Sam Houston State University and received his Bachelor's of Science Degree in Criminal Justice.  While attending the university, he met his lifetime love, best friend, companion, and wife, Nita Jo Crabtree and they married September 28, 1963. During their 55 years of marriage, they had two children Richard and Shelli and two grandchildren, Devan and Greer.

Dicky started his career working for the Lancaster Police Department and the Dallas County Sheriff’s office as a patrol officer.  But the most rewarding part of his career would come when Dicky joined the Dallas Police Department on August 24, 1967, until he retired 22 years later on February 14, 1989.  He spent most of those years in the Southwest Patrol Division as a patrol officer and then as a field training officer. Dicky was passionate about improving the lives of his brothers and sisters in blue.

In 1978, he played a crucial role in the overwhelming passage of the 1979 Dallas Police and Fire Pay Referendum.  As chair of the Police Fire Action Committee, Dicky led the fight for a 15 percent pay raise for police and firefighters. The referendum victory was an outpouring of support for first responders—first with garnering almost twice the signatures required in 60 days to force the referendum and then the record-breaking turnout of voters to pass the referendum.

But that wasn’t the only victory for Dicky.  The following year in a landslide vote, he was elected as president of the Dallas Police Association where he served as its leader from 1980 to 1986.  During that time, he relentlessly championed Dallas police officers always fighting for better benefits and working conditions as well as improving the safety of the citizens of Dallas. During his tenure, he won battles for officers to have legal counsel, for city employees to run for public office outside the city of Dallas and to allow city employees the right to participate in political campaigns.

In 1983, Dicky wanted to revive “The Choirboys,” a chorus of Dallas Police Officers who would sing Christmas carols to children and the elderly during the holidays in the 1930s.  As a result of his appeal, the Police Choir was formed and sponsored by the DPA until its operations were assumed by the Dallas Police Department.

In addition to serving as president of the DPA in 1980, Dicky also served as president of the Texas Municipal Police Association, the largest law enforcement association in Texas.

Following his retirement, Dicky worked for CLEAT (Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas) which provided support services and legal counsel to police officer members of Texas.  After leaving CLEAT, he was a bailiff for the Dallas County Criminal Court System. Dicky moved on to Parkland Hospital as a Fraudulent Claims Investigator where he also retired from there.  But Dicky was still not ready to quite serving his community and worked for Albertsons Gas Station as the kiosk manager where he loved assisting elderly people by pumping their gas. When Albertson’s closed, he went back to the DeSoto Police Department as a Code Enforcement officer and a jailer.  Following his departure from the DeSoto Police Department, he went back to work for the Dallas Police Department where he watched city wide monitors for crimes against citizens. His last venture would be with Hertz Car Rental where he moved vehicles from city to city. As his health declined, he was forced to retire completely.

Dicky was very involved with the DeSoto Elks Lodge #2552 where he served in several offices including Exalted Ruler.  Dicky was a member of the DeSoto Masonic Lodge #1409. He loved and was very involved with the First United Methodist Church in DeSoto, Texas where he had many friends and loved working with The Austin Street Shelter feeding the needy.

The legacy that Dicky hopes that he has imprinted during his life journey here on Earth is that he is remembered for being a loving husband and father/grandfather, a loyal friend, a great Police Officer and civil servant; but most importantly a Man of God.

Dicky is survived by his wife of 55 years Nita Jo Crabtree Hickman; daughter Shelli Renee Hickman Andrews Cook; granddaughter Devan Renee Andrews (his pride and joy) and grandson Hoyt Greer Kevin Cook (his “little partna”), all of Waxahachie, Texas; his oldest brother Bob Hickman of Temple, Texas; many nieces, nephews and cousins throughout Texas.  He is preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Christine Hickman of Dallas, Texas; his son Richard Kevin Hickman of Waxahachie, Texas; his brother Jack Hickman of Forney, Texas; and son-in-law James Hoyt Cook of Waxahachie, Texas.

A memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 310 Roaring Springs Drive, DeSoto, Texas at 2:00pm on Saturday, August 25, 2018.  In lieu of flowers, Dicky has requested that you please make contributions to Assist the Officer Program at the Dallas Police Association by contacting them at 214-747-6839.