For decades, the story of the “Hicks Babies” has remained a poignant chapter in Georgia’s history, a narrative centered around the actions of Doctor Hicks, a family physician in McCaysville. Even now, more than sixty years after the illegal adoptions began and two decades after national news brought the issue to light, hundreds of individuals still grapple with unanswered questions about their origins. These are the “Hicks Babies,” and their quest for truth continues.
Melinda Dawson is one of these individuals, placing her hopes in DNA technology to unravel a mystery that has spanned her entire life. “This is actually happening,” she reflects, the weight of decades of uncertainty palpable in her voice. “I want to know who I look like, I want to know how my sons got so tall, I want to know if my sons look like their grandfather or their father.” Dawson’s yearning for identity resonates with countless others who believe they are victims of Doctor Thomas Hicks.
Doctor Hicks, operating as a family physician in McCaysville, Georgia, during the 1950s and 60s, was not only performing illegal abortions but also running a clandestine adoption operation. He delivered babies and sold them to couples in unrecorded, off-the-books arrangements. Melinda Dawson recounts that in 1962, her adoptive parents paid $1,000 to Doctor Hicks for her adoption. The process was shrouded in secrecy: “They were instructed to come down…come through the front door, pick the baby up and leave through the back door and, and go home immediately,” she explains, highlighting the clandestine nature of these adoptions orchestrated by Doctor Hicks.
The repercussions of Doctor Hicks‘ actions extend far beyond the emotional toll on adoptees. He lost his medical license in 1964, and upon his death in 1972, the medical records from his clinic vanished, leaving a void in the search for biological families. This absence of documentation is why Dawson spearheaded DNA testing efforts this year, seeking to leverage advanced analysis to find familial connections that traditional methods have failed to uncover.
Paul Payne, adopted in 1952, embodies the persistent search for biological roots that defines the “Hicks Babies” experience. “We just want to know things like medical history, you know, where did we come from? Who was our dad? Who was our mom?” Payne articulates, voicing the fundamental human desire to understand one’s heritage. Like many others adopted through Doctor Hicks, Payne’s birth certificate offers no solace, believed to be falsified by Doctor Hicks himself to list adoptive parents as biological parents, effectively concealing their true origins. “He put the adoptive parents down on the birth certificate as the natural parents and that pretty much sealed our fate as far as trying to find the roots,” Payne laments.
In an attempt to provide context, Doctor Hicks‘ granddaughter offered a defense to CBS News, suggesting his actions stemmed from a desire to help “unwanted babies” find homes. However, this explanation falls short for Dawson and many other “Hicks Babies” who seek more than just an explanation; they seek identity and truth. Following inconclusive DNA test results this summer, Dawson is resolute in pursuing another round of testing. “We’re in our 50s and 60s now and this is it,” Dawson emphasizes, underscoring the urgency of their search. “This is our last shot” to unravel the long-lasting legacy of Doctor Hicks and finally find the answers they deserve.
