Dory Hicks to sign coloring book reprint

Dory Hicks, longtime Wahkiakum county resident and artist, will sign copies of her “Redmen Hall Coloring Book” from 1-3 p.m. December 4, when the new edition of the book makes its debut at the historic hall in Skamokawa.

Dory, sprightly octogenarian and beloved Skamokawa resident, originally wrote and illustrated the book in the 1980’s as a “Restore Redmen Hall Project” to raise funds for the repair of the building. She, and her late husband, Wes, were charter members of the informal group that became the Friends of Skamokawa, and were instrumental in its formation and choice of Redmen Hall as a building worthy of preservation. The group formed in 1985 and was incorporated as the nonprofit Friends of Skamokawa Foundation the following year.

When F.O.S. board member and archivist Keith Hoofnagle was searching for a special project for their “Silver Jubilee,” he didn’t have far to go. Dory’s original coloring book, though out-of-print, surfaced from the files. “Though produced on a very limited budget, Dory’s drawings bringing the Skamokawa Central School of the 1890’s-1910’s to life, exuded great charm,” Keith states. “The reprint is a way of celebrating by stepping lightly into the past, retrieving something very special, giving it new life and recycling it as interpretive publication and fund-raiser.”

When Dory showed her copy of the new edition of the “Redmen Hall Coloring Book” to friends at Thanksgiving dinner last week in Skamokawa she reported, “Oh, they all loved it . . . even the men!”

Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Dory was drawing from an early age. Her illustrations appeared in her high school yearbooks and, after graduation, she studied for a year at the Chicago Academy of Fine Art. But, cupid had other plans, and Dory married her high school sweetheart, Wes Hicks, and the two of them came west, where Wes had been accepted in the forestry program at Oregon State University. Along the way, Dory's life was hectic and adventurous, as housewife, mother of eight children, and creative artist. Today, her imaginative paintings are treasured by many current and former Wahkiakum county residents. She currently lives on the Skamokawa family farmstead with a bevy of cats that vie for her attention.

Please watch for the festive retrospective exhibit of Dory Hick’s paintings and drawings at Redmen Hall this coming February. In the meantime, if you own artwork by Dory that you are willing to loan for the exhibit, please contact Jill Hatier, exhibit curator or the Redmen Hall office at 360-795-3007.