Earl T. Ricks | |
|---|---|
 Ricks in uniform,c. 1944 | |
| Nickname | "Pappy Ricks" |
| Born | (1908-07-09)July 9, 1908 |
| Died | January 4, 1954(1954-01-04) (aged 45) |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Service years | 1940–1954 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | Air Force Division Arkansas National Guard Payne Field 36th Strategic Air Base |
| Conflicts | World War II |
| Awards | Legion of Merit Air Medal Army Commendation Medal |
| Other work | Mayor ofHot Springs, Arkansas (1947–49) |
Earl T. Ricks (July 9, 1908 – January 4, 1954) was a senior officer of theUnited States Air National Guard who served as deputychief of the National Guard Bureau, chief of the Air Force Division,National Guard Bureau (1950–1954), andacting chief of the National Guard Bureau. His four months as acting bureau chief made him the first Air National Guard officer to hold the position.
Earl Thornton Ricks was born inWest Point, Mississippi, and reared inStamps inLafayette County in southwesternArkansas. Attracted to flying from an early age, he graduated fromParks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology inSt. Louis, Missouri, purchased abiplane and became apilot.[1][2] In 1930 Ricks married Hazel Brown, daughter of a partner inBodcaw Lumber, the largest lumber company in the world at the time. They had four children.[3] In 1935 he moved toHot Springs and became partners with Raymond Clinton (brother ofBill Clinton's adoptive fatherRoger Clinton Sr.) in the Ricks-ClintonBuickcar dealership.[4]
In March 1940, Ricks joined theArkansas National Guard as a member of the154th Observation Squadron, and soon received his commission as asecond lieutenant.[5] In September he entered federal service as a member of the17th Bombardment Group. In 1941 he was named commander of the 36th Strategic Air Base inMiami, Florida,[6] the departure point for soldiers deploying toNorth Africa. Ricks subsequently received appointment as Commander ofPayne Airfield inCairo, Egypt.[7]
Promoted tocolonel in April 1944, Ricks was assigned as deputy commander of the Southwest Pacific Wing,Air Transport Command, operating in Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines.[8] At the end of thePacific campaign, Ricks piloted theJapanese delegation fromIe Shima toManila to receive surrender terms from General of the ArmyDouglas MacArthur.[9] Ricks served in the post-waroccupation of Japan, and oversaw the landing of two occupationdivisions atAtsugi airdrome inYokohama.[10]
After the war, Ricks returned to his Hot Springs car dealership and started a charter flying service.[11] He became involved in politics as a member of a group of veterans, led by Raymond Clinton andSidney McMath, which attempted to overthrow the political organization led by MayorLeo McLaughlin.[12] This veterans group, the"GIs", prevailed in the 1946 municipal elections, and Ricks won the contest for mayor.[13] He served one term, 1947 to 1949, and made efforts to change Hot Springs' reputation as a "sin city" of gambling and vice, while also carrying out a program of improvements to roads, water and sanitation systems.[14]
In 1948 McMath won election asgovernor. In 1949 he appointed Ricks asadjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard, and Ricks was promoted tobrigadier general.[15] In 1950 Ricks was appointed Chief of the Air Force Division at the National Guard Bureau and deputy chief of the National Guard Bureau, receiving promotion to major general.[16] In early to mid-1953 Ricks served four months as the acting Chief of the National Guard Bureau, following the retirement ofRaymond H. Fleming.[17] Ricks was diagnosed with cancer in 1953 and had a tumor removed from his leg. He did not recover, and died atWalter Reed Army Medical Center on January 4, 1954.[18]
The188th Fighter Wing was nicknamed "Ricks' Rippers".[19] Ricks was inducted into theArkansas Aviation Hall of Fame in 1983.[20] The Air National Guard's annual award for best unit airmanship is called the Earl T. Ricks Award.[21] The National Guardarmory inLittle Rock, Arkansas is named for him.[22] In the 1950s and 1960s the Air National Guard conducted an annual Ricks Memorial Trophy contest, a cross country timed air race designed to showcase the capabilities of the newly formed Air National Guard.[23] Ricks bought the home of spa and railroad entrepreneurSamuel W. Fordyce in 1932. Still privately owned, in 2003 the 14-room log structure and the nearly 500 acres that adjoin it were designated theFordyce-Ricks House Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places.[24]
Ricks was a recipient of theLegion of Merit and theAir Medal.[25]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Brigadier General Heber L. McAlister | Adjutant General of Arkansas 1949–1950 | Succeeded by Brigadier General Heber L. McAlister |
| Preceded by Major GeneralGeorge G. Finch | Chief of theAir Force Division,National Guard Bureau 1950–1954 | Succeeded by Major GeneralWinston P. Wilson |
| Preceded by Major GeneralRaymond H. Fleming | Chief of the National Guard Bureau Acting 1953 | Succeeded by Major GeneralEdgar C. Erickson |
