From "The Abilene Reporter-News": Hicks Quits Church Of Christ Paper; Successor Unnamed
Olan L. Hicks has ended a ten and one-half year relationship with The Christian Chronicle, the international weekly newspaper serving Church of Christ members.
He founded the newspaper and served as its editor from its first edition, June 3, 1943, until his resignation at the February 25 annual meeting of the stockholders.
Hicks says he probably will continue to reside in Abilene but intends to devote much time in the future to evangelistic work, particularly gospel meetings, and to writing.
Hicks said no replacement had yet been named by Dr. R. W. Varner, James Walter Nichols, and Jabe M. Pratt, who own controlling stock in the paper. It will continue to be published however.
The Chronicle was begun in Dallas, but was moved to Abilene October 1, 1944, and has been published regularly since that time. The paper reached its peak in circulation in 1951-52 when approximately 13,000 issues were distributed weekly.
Hicks turned in his resignation as general manager of the Chronicle Publishing Company in February, 1953, but it wasn't accepted until July, 1953. In September of last year he sold a major portion of his stock in the company but remained as editor.
Hicks, 46, was born in Sulphur, Oklahoma, attending high school in Hickory, Oklahoma, Sulphur, Oklahoma, and Clovis, New Mexico. He was graduated from Abilene Christian College in 1932, and while in ACC served as editor of the "Optimist," campus student weekly newspaper.
He received his M. A. degree in journalism from the University of Texas in 1935.
He has also done work toward his Ph.D. degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and the University of Chicago.
He preached his first sermon in December, 1929, at Portales, New Mexico, and continued preaching while attending ACC. He received his degree in Bible.
While attending the University of Texas, he preached for Church of Christ congregations at San Marcos and Lockhart. He has also preached regularly for congregations in Lovington, Hobbs and Carlsbad, New Mexico; Chicago, Illinois, and Oak Lawn (Fort Worth), Oak Lawn and Overton Road (Dallas), Stephenville, McKinney, Mathis, Santo, Ballinger and others in Texas and Oklahoma.
Mrs. Hicks is the former Opal Lasater. They have four children, Mark, 16; Lavelle, 12; Clark, 10; and Jan, 8. The Hicks family resides in Cox Acres on the Albany Highway.
Hicks owns the Lillius Street Shopping Center in the Henson Addition here.