Northwest school superintendent remembered by friends and colleagues as ‘gentle giant’
David Hicks was known as a “gentle giant” by his colleagues and former students, who remember him arriving at school in a tiny red car and greeting everyone with a smile. He kept in touch with those students and colleagues throughout his career in school districts across North Texas, including Northwest ISD, where he was recently hired as superintendent.
Communities across North Texas are mourning this week, after Hicks died unexpectedly Friday, following a medical emergency, according to a statement from the district. He was 55.
“Everyone really actually liked him as a principal, where sometimes kids are not the fondest of principals,” Terri Truong, a former student, said.
“He was like a gentle giant in the sense of like, he was … massive, tall,” she said. “He was so gracious. And he just had such a warming presence where everyone just felt so appreciated.”
Truong was one of many who spoke to the Star-Telegram about the enduring presence Hicks had in their lives, from his time as a principal when she was a student through the process of her becoming an educator and teaching at a school he formerly led. She called it a “full-circle moment.”
Hicks encouraged that cycle for many students over the course of his career, spanning more than three decades.
“He simply took the time to show you he cared. He knew your names,” a Sherman parent said in a comment on the Sherman school district’s Facebook page. “He told my son time and time again to make sure he came back to Sherman to teach after college.”
The last time Truong saw the educator was in 2019, when Hicks returned to a middle school where he had been the principal to celebrate the anniversary of the school opening.
Beloved leader relied on new, old connections
When Hicks arrived at Northwest schools earlier this year after spending six years leading Sherman schools as the superintendent, he leaned on relationships he made over the years to do his “dream job.”
According to the district, when Hicks started his new role at the helm of Northwest schools in March, he pored over staff lists to find all the employees he previously worked with in neighboring districts.
He quickly reached out to dozens of individuals, many of whom he hadn’t seen in more than a decade, to share stories and tell them how he looked forward to working together again.
Some of the educators had previously worked with Hicks for years, while others only worked with him for a few months and had no idea he would remember them because of their brief time together, the district said in a news release.
He also was quick to start building new relationships. Ryan Weiss, a history teacher at Tidwell Middle School, met Hicks on his first official day as superintendent. Hicks, a former middle school history teacher himself, quickly went to his office and gave Weiss a framed map of Texas in the 1830s as a gift, according to the district.
Hicks’ spirit of endearing himself to those he served, even in sometimes unpopular roles, continued throughout his entire career, Truong said.
“He made people feel seen and known regardless of how much time had passed and whether he was superintendent or associate superintendent,” she said.
But there was one group of people who Hicks focused on more than all the teachers and administrators in the entire district. The kids.
“Children are the focus of everything we do as educators,” he said in a statement after his selection as superintendent. “The potential to change the world happens every day inside the walls of our schools, and I am eager to live out Northwest ISD’s core belief that kids come first.”
At events in and out of school, he could be seen kneeling down and reading to the children, exploring science projects or listening to stories.
Superintendent helped out in times of need
The longtime educator was a regular presence in classrooms and events, always making a point to check in on how the people in his life were doing — and offering support.
One teacher from his time at Sherman schools was in a minor wreck on the way to school.
“Later that morning, Dr. Hicks called me at the school to make sure I was OK and asked if I needed anything,” she recalled on Facebook.
Another teacher lost a parent during the school year and was out for a few weeks. Hicks stopped by her office the day she got back to make sure she was OK.
For those who knew Hicks, such acts serve as a reminder of his leadership style — building relationships that would last a lifetime, the Northwest district shared in a post. He never shied away from making new connections no matter where he was, from befriending hotel staff at a resort he visited just once a year to education professionals he would reach out to daily, the district said.
Current, former educators remember leader
Anne Davis-Simpson, president of the Northwest schools Board of Trustees and a retired teacher, said she formed a lasting professional relationship with Hicks that spanned almost all his time as an educator.
“Dr. Hicks’ commitment to quality instruction and teachers was a trait that lasted throughout his educational career,” she said in a statement. “He approached life and educational work with optimism and positivity to an extent unrivaled by almost anyone.”
Before serving as superintendent in Sherman, Hicks served as area superintendent of secondary programs at Denton schools.
But the majority of his career, more than two decades, took place on school campuses, directly supporting students and teachers. After his time as a middle school history teacher, he served as a principal or assistant principal at all campus levels — elementary, middle and high — in Carrolton-Farmers Branch schools and Grapevine-Colleyville schools.
Kathryn Kee, former assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in Grapevine-Colleyville school district and central office administrator in Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district, said in a statement that she knew Hicks from the time he began student teaching.
She said he “radiated joy and passion to be the best teacher he could be.”
His personality was so magnetic that district leaders quickly selected him to lead training sessions, she added.
The joy and passion described by Kee mirrors a common description among those who spent time with Hicks in any capacity. Whatever Hicks decided to do, whether professionally or in his free time, involved his full heart, according to the district.
Community involvement was important to Hicks
That compassion extended beyond the school building. Hicks was heavily involved in community collaboration initiatives, meeting with more than 100 families after he joined the Northwest district, seeking to learn how the school district could best meet the desires of residents.
In his personal life, he was quick to make friends in the communities where he lived. Tammy Daniel, who was Hicks’ neighbor for years in the mid-90s to 2000s, said he would connect with families throughout the neighborhood during cookouts.
“He had a pinball machine the kids would play and they were just always very welcoming to neighborhood kids and families,” she recalled. “I mean, their house was just open. They just did all the parades and the neighborhood got very involved in all that.”
He was known for his Coca-Cola collection and arranging games and diving competitions, where he would rally the neighborhood children to participate, along with his own two children.
Jamie Wilson, superintendent of Denton schools, said Hicks’ personality transitioned well between the two worlds
“From teaching to tailgating, Dr. David Hicks was always a man I was proud to call my friend and colleague,” Wilson said in a statement. “His love for his family was endless and demonstrated in multiple ways. His infectious laugh drew you in immediately, and the genuine way he treated every person made you want to be better and rise to his high expectations — which he held for himself and those he cared for.”
“Make no mistake, David was driven by his love for education and the difference he could make in the lives of others — public education lost an amazing leader and an even better man,” Wilson said in a statement.
According to memorial services shared by the district, Hicks is survived by his loving wife, Tammy; daughter, Aubrey; son and daughter-in-law, Keaton and Maura, as well as granddaughter, Presley; and father, Alexander.
He is also survived by siblings Susan Brashier and her husband, Joe; Kathy Miles and husband, Dan; Laura Witte and husband, David; Paula Akialis and husband, Ron; Steven Hicks and wife, Lori; Mischelle Raftery and husband, Steve; and Christina Miller and husband, Damien.
Commemorative arrangements will take place at Sherman High School, located at 2907 W. Travis St. in Sherman, at the following dates and times.
Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16
Service: 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17
Funeral: 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17
