The method of the illegal adoptions has left many questions for those who started their lives in Hicks’ clinic. “Our backgrounds and interests are diverse, but we are bound together by our shared values and a desire to have fun, do good and build relationships that can last a lifetime.”. Dr. Hicks served as a town doctor in McCaysville, Ga., and was known for performing abortions, which were illegal at the time. Occupation: Physician: Managed by: Private User Last Updated: October 22, 2019 Blasio was one of about 200 infants placed in an illegal black-market baby ring run out of a small Georgia clinic by Dr. Thomas J. Hicks during the 1950s and 1960s. She was present when authorities opened the mausoleum. She said the whole time she was having the babies that there was a very nice dressed lady sitting in the room across the hall from her. (678) 822-9818. Investigators opened the mausoleum, searching for records of the illegal adoptions, but found it was empty. “I think he was a good man. Tune in to part two of #TakenAtBirth NOW or stream live on the #TLCgo app. How Did Dr. Thomas Hicks Look Like? This lucrative, black-market baby operation was the work of Dr. Thomas Hicks, an abortion doctor well-known for being able to fix female problems for about $100. Nathan W. “I still don’t know,” one of the Hicks Babies, Melinda, told the publication. — ‘Taken at Birth’ True Story https://t.co/E14faD7AFT pic.twitter.com/cXOtajC4yQ, — Sugar Mummy (@findsugarmummy) October 9, 2019. Christopher Hicks, MD, is a board-certified orthopaedist who specializes in non-operative sports medicine and provides comprehensive medical care for athletes and active patients alike. Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks was a beloved local doctor the worked in the 50s and 60s in Copperhill, TN. Hicks’ illegal adoptions stopped in 1964 with Jane Blasio, who eventually broke the case while investigating in search of her own biological parents. (@Angel5Christine) October 8, 2019. The Hicks babies seemed to have mixed feelings about his actions from the Narratively profile. The clinic is shuttered but still stands in a plaza between a pizza shop and a barbecue restaurant, according to Narratively. Curiously, Dr. Thomas J. Hicks is not buried in a mausoleum that bears his name, but beside it. Still, she defends her late grandfather’s actions. Hicks would forge birth certificates which would list the adoptive parents as the parents, and list the place of birth in McCaysville, Georgia. Instead, Dilbeck was passed through the back window of a clinic and sold. Dickson and Mrs. George Bradley, both of Kingsport, Tenn. "We Loved Thee for Thy Astute Mind, but We Loved Thee Better for a Heart that was Gentle and Kind. Dr. Hicks was married and had two children, a son and a daughter. Stapleton and his adopted sister, Cyndy, were just two of more than 200 newborns sold by Dr. Thomas Hicks. Dilbeck and many of the others, known as “Hicks Babies,” began to learn the truth about their birth when Jane Blasio, the youngest Hicks Baby, uncovered the truth during her investigation into her own story. Dr. Hicks' granddaughter also strongly implied that, in some cases, Dr. Hicks … Hughes is among the roughly 200 adults who have come to be known as the "Hicks Babies," newborns who were illegally sold into black market adoptions by Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks between 1950 and 1965, according to county birth records. He also has a granddaughter who is sympathetic to the efforts of the Hicks Babies. She is a member of a Facebook groups which joins the Hicks babies. He lives in Blue Mountain, Georgia with his wife, Ruth, and has children and grandchildren of his own. The group had an uncommon bond. Thomas Hicks died at the age of 83 in 1972 in his hometown of Georgia. Although Hicks, his wife and son are dead, their daughter is still alive. Although they did not share blood, they shared a strong connection. He is proud of his Christian faith, often wearing a hat that says “I love Jesus.”. The forgery practice kept the black market adoption process concealed, but also erased any trace of the biological parents for the Hicks Babies, according to Narratively. Read more about Dilbeck's life now and his family. The “Hicks Babies” are now grown and many have babies and grandbabies of their own. They have been married for 42 years, since December 4, 1976, according to his wife’s Facebook page. Stephen Dilbeck was the first baby Dr. Thomas Hicks sold out of his clinic in McCaysville, George. The Hicks Community Clinic has been closed for years, but the building still stands. There is no family member “living in seclusion in North Carolina”. Paul Raymann is the son of loving adoptive parents. The McCaysville group is connected to Dr. Thomas Hicks, the town doctor and a popular, church-going man, revered by locals for his generosity. It is possible that deaths like these convinced Dr. Hicks that something needed to be done.”. "I think he was a good man. He wasn’t going around knocking girls up and holding them hostage in his apartment until they delivered their babies so he could sell them.”. Ruth has shared pictures of him attending his grandchildren’s graduations and holding some of the youngest members of the family. The six-part, three-night special revisits the case of Dr. Thomas J. Hicks, who sold or gave away more than 200 infants from the '40s to the '60s Indeed they did, along with the adoptive parents of approximately 212 other children who have become known as the Hicks Babies, after Dr. Thomas Jugarthy Hicks. READ NEXT: Dr. Thomas Hicks, The Doctor Who Sold More Than 200 Babies: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Stephen Dilbeck: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright © 2021 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Blasio, who is also a Hicks Baby, is leading the investigation to uncover the whole truth about Hicks’ baby adoption ring with TLC’s Long Lost Family co-hosts Lisa Joyner and Chris Jacobs. Facebook “I wish I would have been given the opportunity to know my mother,” Dilbeck said on the show. GOOD NIGHT DEAD DAD, GOOD NIGHT GOOD NIGHT. “He was a good man, a good-hearted man. Dr. Thomas J. Hicks performed abortions in the 1950s, long before abortions were legalized in Roe v. Wade. But there was nothing in it. His wife also preceded him in death. Pediatric Dentistry of Johns Creek 10475 Medlock Bridge Road Suite 501 Johns Creek, GA 30097 . Dr. Thomas Hicks, The Doctor Who Sold More Than 200 Babies: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Here’s everything you should know about Thomas J. Hicks and his black market business before tuning in to the three-night, six-hour event debuting Oct. 9. There’s nothing there,” Linda, one of the Hicks Babies, told Narratively. It’s time the truth came to light. Stephen Dilbeck was the first baby Dr. Thomas Hicks sold out of his small-town clinic in McCaysville, George. Stephen Dilbeck, 69, and his wife, Ruth, live in Blue Ridge, Georgia. She had particular qualms with the notion of “black market babies.”. Which led Judy and Melinda to Maury in April 1998. Dr Hicks quickly hushed the nurse and gave my grandma something to make her sleep. He let loose some real chaos into this world.”. Several in the town told the outlet the story was sensationalized. His father, John, was also a dermatologist who thrived in his chosen profession and influenced his son. The couple also has children and grandchildren. He lives only about 10 miles from McCaysville, Georgia, where he was born and given up for illegal adoption. Some theorized Hicks was buried beside his mausoleum because of concern the grave would be vandalized. The story will be featured during a three-night special on TLC, Taken At Birth, beginning at 9 p.m. October 9, 2019. “In the 40s, 50s, and 60s, a doctor was selling babies from his small town abortion clinic in the heart of McCaysville, Georgia. (Nightline/ABC) She sent her DNA sample to the lab and the site analyzed the specimen for free. Hicks performed illegal abortions in the 1950s and 1960s, along with the illegal adoptions, until he faced legal troubles in 1964 for the abortions. But the birth certificates were forged to erase the true birth parents of the children. His wife’s Facebook page shows him actively involved with the Shriners Yaarab Temple, participating in activities including a parade. “Hicks was providing a service,” Ken Rush, director of the Ducktown Basin Museum, told Narratively. “Shriners are a brotherhood of men committed to family, engaged in ongoing personal growth, and dedicated to providing care for children and families in need,” the mission statement on its international website says. He was one of 200 babies Hicks allegedly sold illegally to adoptive parents in Akron, Ohio. Some were children of women Hicks convinced not to … Stephen Dilbeck is the oldest of the “Hicks Babies,” a nickname given to the 200 babies Dr. Thomas Hicks sold from his clinic in the small town of McCaysville, Georgia. Powered by. As I say, not perfect, but a good man,” Doris Abernathy told WKYC. The show is led by Jane Blasio, the youngest of the known Hicks Babies, who works with TLC’s Long Lost Family co-hosts Chris Jacobs and Lisa Joyner to unravel the mystery of Hicks’ crimes. One touching picture shows Dilbeck holding his great-grandson for the first time. His forged birth certificates did not list biological parents. His wife was a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. Facebook Dr. Hicks had a granddaughter, Sally Sompayrac, who empathizes with the plight of the Hicks babies. “I tried to bury a lot of it because it hurt so bad,” he said. “When they opened it up there was great excitement. … After years of wondering about her birth family, will Diane finally have closure? The story is told on Taken at Birth. “I know abortion was illegal at the time, and then I think he was running into people who couldn’t afford adoptions,” he told the New York Post. Son of David Fleming Hicks and Mary Louise Hicks Husband of Chassie Hicks Father of Dr Thomas Jugarthy Hicks, Jr; Dr Walter Lynn Hicks; Private and Private Brother of Infant Daughter Hicks. Moments like that teach you that life is precious and that things can change very quickly.” Though Hicks, his wife, and his son are death his daughter is still alive. Dilbeck lived most of his life never knowing the truth about his origins. Powered by. In 2014, he and many other Hicks Babies drove to Ducktown, Tennessee, to have their DNA tested in hopes of locating their biological relatives, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Despite the illegality of the abortions, Hicks would advertise the service at phone booths, bus stations and bridges, according to Appalachian History. The sentiments were echoed in other news stories. Dilbeck appears to be actively involved in the lives of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Many are hoping DNA will link them to their birth families, and some of them have found biological parents, siblings and parents through DNA, according to WKYC. Dr. Hicks was adored by the towns folks as he would often treat the impoverished for free and helped the local miners and their mine related ailments. When she woke she only had one baby. The Hicks Babies share an urgency to find their roots and uncover the truth about Dr. Hicks’ clinic before the clock runs out. Dr. Hicks with his son Tim at his white coat ceremony, where residents receive their white coats for the first time. Dilbeck is hoping to learn the truth about his biological mother during his appearance on Taken At Birth, a three-part TLC special airing October 9, 10 and 11 at 9 p.m. EST. Family-Placed Death Notice THOMAS J. HICKS, III Thomas J. Hicks III embarked on his most fascinating yet final fugue on the 55th anniversary of his birth, on April 11th 2007. Stephen Dilbeck Drove to Tennessee for a DNA Test, Along With Other Hicks Babies, … “I owe my life to him, but he has also been the cause of so much pain and suffering. Dr. Thomas J. Hicks Lost His Medical License for Performing Abortions Before Roe. Dr. Hicks told Hughes’ mother she was a stillborn and sold her a week later to new parents. In a small town filled with economical hardships, Hicks saw a need among pregnant women, although abortions conflicted with his faith, according to Narratively. The Atlanta branch, like many Shrine Temples, is known for its work with Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Shrine Circus. There is evidence Dr Hicks told birth parents that their baby had died and were instead selling them on to desperate couples. He is buried in Crest Lawn Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia. He was born October 18, 1888. Dr. Hicks is amazing! Some of those in his town defend his actions, according to Narratively, saying he was providing a service. pic.twitter.com/a1vQ8wHo4F. Stephen Dilbeck. Dr. Thomas Hicks. John Stapleton, another one of the Hicks Babies, said he did not think Hicks started in the business for profit. Hicks died at age 83 in 1972. Stephen Dilbeck is married to Ruth Dilbeck. Those who were adopted have few places to turn to track down their origins. His wife and son have both passed away. Stories of young girls dying from botched abortions in the early ’50s still exist in the living memories of those from the region. pic.twitter.com/77eyWNLdHM. Join the search for truth. Dr. Thomas Hicks ran the Hicks Community Clinic in the small town, which sits just on the edge of the Tennessee border. Because the adoptions were illegal and their birth certificate were forged, there are no records of their biological parents which would allow them to find their origins. She noted to the TV station many of them went to good homes and led successful lives. Dilbeck’s appearance on Taken At Birth is far from his first attempt to locate his birth mother. But Dr. Hicks had a not-so-secret dark secret. Hicks faced legal trouble for illegal abortions, but not for the illegal adoptions. “The poverty here in the Copper Basin of southeast Tennessee and far north Georgia, which includes the town of McCaysville, often meant that pregnant women couldn’t ask a relative or friend to help raise their children. He lost his medical license in 1964, but he faced no jail time for the illegal abortions. “It could take up to three months to test all the participants’ samples, but what’s 90 days compared to the lifetime these baby boomers have been waiting to find their birth families?”, Heartbreaks and dead ends won’t stop the search for the truth. Those who were passed through the window as babies to adoptive parents have stopped by to see where their lives changed direction so early in life. “If there was no demand for the service, Hicks would not have been doing it. Although he was so close to the place where his mother gave birth to him, he said on Taken At Birth he thought he would never find his mother and buried the urge to seek her out. Dr. Thomas Hicks was a small-town Georgia doctor who was accused of selling hundreds of babies in illegal adoptions. v. Wade legalized abortions. Dr. Hicks talked him through the whole process, and encouraged him. READ NEXT: Jane Blasio, The Hicks Baby Who Broke the Black Market Baby Adoption Case: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Dr. Thomas Hicks: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright © 2021 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. When she ask Dr Hicks about it he told her it was the medication making her think that. pic.twitter.com/3dg3CRes3u. “It was a few scary days in the PICU. It sits in a plaza in McCaysville, Georgia with a pizza shop on one end and a barbecue restaurant on the other, according to Narratively. His wife and son both passed away, and his daughter lives in North Carolina, according to Appalachian History. Many of those from Hicks small town defended his actions. At the helm is lead investigator Jane Blasio, the youngest of the known Hicks Babies, whose resolve helped break the story, and who has since dedicated her life to finding out the truth. The motives of Hicks’ actions are unclear. Hicks, a family physician who performed illegal abortions in the 50s and 60s in McCaysville, Ga., also delivered babies and sold them to couples in off-the-books adoptions. Dr. Hicks grew up in South Miami and Coral Gables, Florida, where he was the oldest of four children. https://t.co/900llb4znH, — Angel Patriot❤️?? The Atlanta faction supports the Atlanta Rollergirls, a roller derby league, and the Atlanta Jugglers Association, according to its website. Dr. Hicks never had a daughter. More than 200 babies, known as the “Hicks Babies,” were sold by Hicks through a back window of the Hicks Community Clinic in McCaysville, Georgia during the 1950s and 1960s. Jane Blasio, The Hicks Baby Who Broke the Black Market Baby Adoption Case: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Sompayrac believes her grandfather’s actions helped the birth mothers in need and gave the babies life. John and Cyndy were just two of more than 200 newborns sold by Dr. Thomas Hicks, a doctor in McCaysville, Ga., who was selling babies out of the back door of his clinic in the 1950s and ’60s. Dr. Thomas Hicks was a small-town Georgia doctor who was posthumously accused of selling hundreds of babies in illegal adoptions. #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, begins TONIGHT at 9/8c. No reference was made of the real mother. Side door of the now abandoned Hicks Clinic. I don’t know. My son has autism and has never done well with people touching his mouth. The story of the “Hicks Babies” broke almost 20 years ago when a researcher discovered that between 1950 and 1965, a Dr. Thomas Hicks of McCaysville, Georgia, sold babies he delivered in his clinic to couples looking to adopt children. Hicks’ beliefs did not fully mesh with abortions, and he would sometimes convince women that he would handle adoptions if they carried the babies to term, according to WKYC in Cleveland, Ohio. Tune in to #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, starting TONIGHT at 9/8c. Hicks was performing abortions long before Roe. Thirty people participated in the testing, according to relatives of the Hicks Babies, the newspaper reported. Stephen Dilbeck is a member of the Yaarab Shriners, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia. James Hicks, DMD, MS Anna Vu, DMD, MS. Board certified pediatric dentist One of the facts in your story is incorrect. Survivors include a son, Dr. Thomas J. Hicks of Atlanta; daughter Mrs. Reid L. Brown of Chattanooga, Tenn., and sisters Mrs. J.W. That is the story of the Hicks babies. What Happened to Dr. Thomas Hicks? A DNA test led Raymann to his biological father, Paul Jack. pic.twitter.com/aTH43ks3Co. It turned into a business. Starting in 1955 and running through the early 1960s, Hicks … “When Dr. Hicks began his illicit practice, abortions were illegal in the United States,” Phil Trexler wrote in the article. Women in “trouble” from miles around sought the help of Dr. Thomas J. Hicks, who advertised his services in messages scrawled in telephone booths and on highway overpasses. Thomas was a poet who end She hopes DNA testing will enable them to find their birth parents. #TakenAtBirth, a 3-night special event, begins Wednesday at 9/8c. It was there that infants were delivered and passed through a back window late at night to adoptive parents. The illegal adoptions came to an end in 1964, when Hicks was caught performing illegal abortions. For over 50 years this small town has been hiding a shocking secret. He died at age 85 in 1972 from Leukemia. He’d do anything for anybody – sometimes he’d pay a price for it,” she said. Dr. Hicks would then sell the babies for $800 to $1,000 each and would provide a forged birth certificate with the adoptive parents on the documents. The Akron couple who bought Mrs. Blasio had already bought one baby from Dr. Hicks, Michelle, for $800 in fall of 1961. [But] I don’t think it initially started that way.”, SAD STORY…with a happy ending for a brother & sister❤️, John & Cindy were just 2 of more than 200 newborns sold by Dr. Thomas Hicks, a doctor in Georgia who was selling babies out of the back door of his clinic in the 50s & 60s. He was married and had two children, a son and a daughter. Dr. Hicks grew up in South Miami and Coral Gables, Florida, where he was the oldest of four children. Then 64, Hicks made the 15 mile drive across the border from his home in Blue Ridge, Georgia to Tennessee. The baby was surrounded by family members soon after his birth, as Dilbeck should have been when he was born. The adoptive parents paid $1,000 for the baby, and Hicks would provide housing for the mothers for several months at his farm, a hotel, his apartments or a telephone company building, according to Appalachian History. His daughter is living in North Carolina, according to Appalachian History. We are so pleased with the work and staff at Epic Orthodontics! Several of the Hicks Babies found the mausoleum was vandalized when they paid a visit in 2018. https://www.healthgrades.com/physician/dr-scott-hicks-39d59 In these cases, Hicks would forge a birth certificate and give the baby to adoptive parents in secret from his Georgia clinic. “Never has been black market babies,” she told WKYC. What did Dr. Thomas Hicks look like? “Little did we know then that he would be back as a pediatric resident one day,” David says. His father, John, was also a dermatologist who thrived in his chosen profession and influenced his son. Many of the Hicks Babies’ birth certificates listed their places of birth accurately as McCaysville, Georgia. That is the only child the doctor had. “In all, 30 people — some Hicks babies, some potential relatives and their supporters — turned out for the testing, performed free by Ohio-based DNA Diagnostic Center,” the newspaper said. Dilbeck is the oldest of the Hicks Babies at age 69, according to TLC’s Taken At Birth. The extra mouths to feed were simply too expensive. He had a son who also became a doctor, but the son died before Dr. Hicks. Doctor Hicks was NO saint and we recognize his dysfunction, the pain he caused many, and have learned to bear it,” she wrote. Thomas Hicks died at the age of 83 in 1972 at his hometown Georgia. He died at age 83 in 1972 of leukemia, according to Appalachian History. He was married to a Baptist Sunday school teacher, according to PEOPLE. The truth about the adoptions came to light in 1997, more than two decades after his death, as some of the Hicks Babies began seeking out their biological parents. According to ABC News, Dr. Hicks convinced a few of these young moms to keep the babies and put them up in a hotel in town until they gave birth. “I think, at first, it was under the table, and then he had seen there was money involved. Jane Blasio, who broke the story of the Hicks Babies and leads investigative efforts, wrote her thoughts about Hicks on her website. Green Sod Above, Lie LIght, Lie Light.

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