He was one of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, and later became an educator and civil rights leader on the Central Coast.
A memorial service will be held at Vandenberg Air Force Base this weekend for Dr. Arthur Hicks.
During World War II, Hicks was a pilot with the Tuskegee Airman, a distinguished unit of African-American pilots in a mostly segregated U.S. military.
After the war, he served nearly three decades in the Air Force as a Master Sergeant, retiring while serving at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Hicks pursued his education, getting a master’s degree and becoming a teacher in Lompoc. He also became a civil rights leader, fighting to desegregate the local Elks Lodge.
The memorial service will be at 1:30 Saturday, at the Vandenberg Air Force Base Chapel. He'll be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Hicks was 95 years old.