Clifford B. Hicks was born in 1920 in Marshalltown, Iowa, a town similar to Riverton, Indiana (where the Alvin Fernald series is set). He started writing professionally in high school, where he served as a correspondent for the Des Moines Register. He graduated with honors from Northwestern University, then served as a U.S. Marine in the South Pacific during World War II, where he earned the Silver Star. After the war, he joined the staff of Popular Mechanics magazine. Mr. Hicks started with Popular Mechanics as a writer and editor, covering science and technology issues. Eventually he served as Editor-In-Chief of the magazine, then edited books and encyclopedias for them until his retirement. In addition to his responsibilities at Popular Mechanics, Mr. Hicks wrote science, health and technology stories for several other national magazines. 1920 (MCMXX) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 26th 145,743 km² 320 km 500 km 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 38th 94,321 km² 225 km 435 km 1. ... Northwestern University is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian university, located in Evanston, Illinois and Chicago, Illinois. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as... The Silver Star is a United States military decoration and is the third highest medal for valor. ... The adolescent Internet. ... The adolescent Internet. ... The adolescent Internet. ...

Mr. Hicks has written 13 juvenile fiction books, including the Alvin Fernald and Peter Potts series. Additionally, he has written one juvenile non-fiction book and adapted one of his books (Alvin Fernald, Mayor for a Day) into a play. Two of his books (The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald and Alvin Fernald, Mayor for a Day) were adapted by Disney for a two part episode of The Wonderful World of Disney. The Walt Disney Company (most commonly known as Disney) (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ... Walt Disneys anthology series, commonly called The Wonderful World of Disney, premiered on ABC on October 27, 1954 under the name Disneyland. ...

Mr. Hicks enjoys a satisfying retirement in the mountains of western North Carolina. He and Rachel, his wife of 60+ years, have three children and eight grandchildren. Mr. Hicks enjoys traveling, woodworking, making toys for his grandchildren and playing April Fool's Day jokes. He also takes pleasure in hearing from fans, young and old. Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 28th 139,509 km² 805 km 240 km 9. ... April Fools Day or All Fools Day, though not a holiday in its own right, is a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1. ...

Children's books authored by Clifford Hicks

Alvin Fernald Series

• The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald - 1960 (illustrated by Charles Geer)
• Alvin's Secret Code - 1963
• Alvin Fernald, Foreign Trader - 1966
• Alvin Fernald, Mayor for a Day - 1970
• Alvin Fernald, Superweasel - 1974
• Alvin's Swap Shop - 1976
• Alvin Fernald, TV Anchorman - 1980
• The Wacky World of Alvin Fernald - 1981
• Alvin Fernald, Master of a Thousand Disguises - 1986

Charles Geer grew up on Long Island, New York. ...

Peter Potts Series

• Peter Potts - 1971
• Pop and Peter Potts - 1984
• Peter Potts Book of World Records - 1987

Other Children's Books

• First Boy on the Moon - 1959
• The World Above - 1965

External links

• The Wacky World of Alvin Fernald