MONROE COUNTY, Ga. — For 30 years, Tina Hicks was the face of evening news in Central Georgia. Viewers trusted her to bring them the facts.
Colleagues knew her as a hard-working journalist, who exuded the utmost professionalism with her caring "Mama Tina" spirit.
But to Ketina and Kevin Hicks, she was just Mom.
Ketina Hicks-Morgan and her brother Kevin Hicks cherish the memories that now fill their childhood home in Monroe County.
"The style and the class that she had," Ketina said.
The eldest of six children, Tina Hicks came from a large and loving family.
"I do remember times my mom would tell us for Christmas they only got oranges, apples, they got fruits for Christmas because they couldn't afford anything else," Ketina said.
"You have to remember that she started out in south Macon, raised by two parents that had little education," Ketina said.
She graduated from Southwest High School, attended classes at Macon Junior College and eventually started her career in the early 70s as a co-host for 13WMAZ's "Ebony Speaks" talk show.
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"Anything she learned from her job, she passed along to us. Whether it was reading, speaking in public, making sure to make eye contact with people," Kevin said.
Her success grew in the 80s, as she became the first black woman to anchor primetime evening news in Central Georgia, but 'mom' was still her most important title.
"She would condense a lot into pretty much one, maybe one and a half days, of being with her family because she did work so much," Kevin said.
Throughout her career, Hicks earned awards. Most notably the 1988 Emmy for Best Daily Newscast in Georgia outside of Atlanta.
"She was a natural," Marvin James said.
13WMAZ Sports Anchor Marvin James and Senior Director Chris Collinsworth grew up watching Tina Hicks.
Then they worked with her.
"She looked like my mom, she looked like my auntie, you know, she looked like my grandmother, so it was kind of cool to see a familiar face on TV," James said.
"I always called her Mama Tina, I saw her that way off camera and on camera," Collinsworth said.
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Hicks was humble, but also proud of what she accomplished.
"Ms. Tina left a mark to show that people of all colors, of all generations, can do exactly what she was able to do and to do it with style and grace," James said.
Hicks retired in 1999 and spent the last 20 years watching her family grow.
"It's bittersweet, you know. You're happy that you are able to have those moments, because some people don't get to be her kid," Kevin said.
"Just on paper? I can see all of her struggles and everything that she did to make her the iconic woman that we know her as Tina Hicks," Ketina said.
The Hicks family is working to create a scholarship fund in Tina Hicks' name for minority Central Georgia students pursuing a career in Broadcast Journalism.