Rose Queen

Fannie Hicks, our 2010 Rose Queen, graciously accepted her crown and royal robe Wednesday, April 21 as she was named the 2010 Rose Queen in Portland.

The Royal Rosarians chose Fannie Hicks because of her perseverance and humorous attitude. Nobody can top Fannie when it comes to telling stories about country living. Born in Columbia, Tennessee in 1913, Fannie and her four siblings worked on the farm raising cows, pigs, and chickens. Each day she walked a mile-and-a-half on a country road to attend a one-room schoolhouse with a wood stove.  When it was cold her mother made her wear heavy bloomers to keep her legs warm. She tucked them under her dress when she got to school so they wouldn't show. During high school, Fannie rode her horse to school, played basketball and had a boyfriend who was a "handsome, blonde football player." Her fondest childhood memory was going to a neighbor's house when radios were first invented, gathering around it, and listening to the "Grand Ole Opry." Fannie married her husband, Milton Hicks, in 1936 in the middle of the depression after falling for him on a blind date. The wedding was especially memorable because Milton had to travel 80 miles in his best man's car to get to the wedding. The two men were so excited, they forgot to buy gas and ran out before they got to the church. Everyone, including Fannie, waited for an hour, until the two men arrived. Fannie and her husband went on to be married for 73 years until he passed in 2009. Fannie has three children, nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.