Margaret Amy (Beaumont) Hickok (1922 - 2006)

Born 10 May 1922 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Gerald Ganopole — married 8 Jan 1944 (to 1972) in Columbus, Johnson, Missouri

Wife of David Marion Hickok PhD — married 29 Apr 1974 in Anchorage, AK

Descendants

Died 19 Jun 2006 at age 84 in Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Denise Ganopole [send private message] and Lissa Budrow [send private message]

Biography

Much of the genealogy documentation used in the older portions of our tree was uncovered by Ellen and her sister Mark, found during their 1970s and 80s research effort.

From the University of Alaska collection:

Mark Hickok was born in Los Angeles, California in 1922 as Margaret Amy Beaumont. While working as a journalist with United Press International circa 1941, Hickok was given the name “Mark” from a bureau chief who thought it would help her get by-lines in the male-dominated profession; she later changed her legal name to Mark as well. Hickok was known primarily for her activism in environmental and conservation issues. She and her first husband, Gerald “Jerry” Ganopole, moved in 1959 to Alaska from California, where she had been one of the founders of the Sierra Club’s Kern-Kaweah Chapter. In Alaska, Hickok co-founded the club’s Alaska Chapter and also the Alaska Wilderness Council, which brought conservation groups together to map state lands to be preserved. She broke with Sierra Club in 1976 after the organization opposed letting Alaska Natives continue subsistence living on park lands but later served on its national board from 1977-1980. Hickok also served as a board member for the National Parks and Conservation Association. Her involvement with these organizations led to the establishment of Chugach State Park and Katchemak Bay State Park, among other parks, and she was heavily involved in identifying Alaska lands for conservation following the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. She also served on the boards of the Brooks Range Trust and the Hans van der Laan Brooks Range Library in the North Slope Borough. Mark Hickok married her second husband, David M. Hickok, in 1974. She died in 2006.

Alaska Conservation Hall of Fame, Awarded in 2002:

Mark Hickok

Mark Hickok’s legacy of grassroots conservation resulted in some of the most lasting achievements in Alaska’s conservation history. During the months preceding the passage of Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), Mark’s apartment became home to the “Maps on the Floor Society,” where people gathered to study maps and identify lands for protection. From meetings with bush pilots and rural citizens, to communications with state and federal land managers, Mark gathered intelligence, coordinated information and worked with others to present the best options for protecting Alaska’s lands.

This voluntary effort resulted in a map that displayed wildlife populations, valuable habitat, spectacular landscapes, mineral deposits and other natural features in a series of transparent overlays. Walt Parker hand delivered the final map to the Department of Interior Secretary Morton. This effort was one of the most effective collaborative and community-based conservation campaigns in Alaska’s history.

A Sierra Club member since 1940, Mark served on the board from 1977-1980 and she helped found the Club’s Alaska Chapter. She also co-founded the Alaska Wilderness Council to coordinate Alaska’s grassroots conservation groups in identifying areas for new state parks and the selection of (d) (2) lands. Mark worked to establish the Brooks Range Trust with Ruth Schmidt, which managed a small endowment from the estate of mountaineer Hans van der Laan to create a Brooks Range library collection at Anaktuvuk Pass and support conservation groups working to protect northern Alaska.

Among Mark’s other notable achievements: creation of Kachemak State Park, signed into law by Governor Jay Hammond; creation of the Chugach State Park with Sharon Cissna and others; and establishment of Wood-Tikchik State Park with Neil Johannsen. Mark’s dedication to creating and protecting public lands has left a living landscape for generations of Alaskans.

Sadly, Mark Hickok passed away in 2006.

Sources

Find A Grave: Memorial #36551361 - Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery in Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska

Also:

• ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, University of Alaska
• Alaska Conservation Hall of Fame