Hicks resigned as Leader of the opposition in 1960 and took the post of dean of arts and science at Dalhousie University. He later became a vice president of the school and then president in 1963. He served as president until August 31, 1980 and is recognized as transforming Dalhousie University from a tiny "College By the Sea" into a leading national research university.
During Hicks' tenure, the campus underwent a complete transformation as new facilities were built, expanded, or acquired for all areas of the university from academics and research to arts and athletics, as well as student housing. In September 2002, the Henry Hicks Academic Administration Building was named after him.
In 1970, Hicks was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.[1] On April 27, 1972, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Pierre Trudeau, and served in that capacity until his retirement on March 5, 1990. As a keen woodworker, Hicks conducted amateur repairs on the Black Rod of the Senate after it had snapped in half in 1967.[2]
Personal life and death
In 1949, Hicks married Pauline Banks (d. February 22, 1964).[3] They had four children; Catherine, Henry, John, and Francess. In 1965, he married Gene Morrison (d. January 1988). In 1988, he married Rosalie Comeau (d. December 9, 1990).
On the afternoon of December 9, 1990, Hicks and his wife Rosalie were returning to Halifax from the Annapolis Valley when their vehicle crossed the centre line and struck an oncoming car. Hicks and his wife were killed, along with two of the four passengers in the other vehicle.[4]
