Draft:Tyler G. Hicks

Tyler G. Hicks (June 21,1921 – March 12, 2020), publisher and editor of three newsletters — International Wealth Success, Global Finding Services, and Money Watch Bulletin — and a prolific author of more than 130 published books on self-help, business, and engineering, and former Editorial Director and Publisher of Professional and Reference Books at the McGraw-Hill Companies, died peacefully on the morning of March 12, 2020 at age 98. He was a lifelong resident of New York State and a Long Island resident for seventy years.

At his death Mr. Hicks was President of International Wealth Success, Inc., a publishing firm he founded in 1966. Besides his extensive writing activities, Mr. Hicks also lectured and taught business and engineering subjects worldwide. Scores of Fortune 500 company executives and employees attended his many seminars and lectures in both the United States and Europe. He also was a well-known financier who helped fund many small business startups in the United States and overseas.

Early Life of Tyler G. Hicks

Born in New York City on June 21, 1921, he attended Holy Spirit School and DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx where he grew up. His first article was published in an engineering magazine when he was twelve-years-old — he was paid $3.00 by the editor. At the age of 14, he went to sea on a U.S. Merchant Marine passenger ship, the Columbia of the Columbian Line, during his summer vacation from high school. During succeeding summers, he continued to sail as an engine room crewman on various freighters and tankers from the Port of New York to destinations around the world. On graduating, he continued full-time in the U.S. Merchant Marine, serving on a total of eleven oceangoing ships of the United States Lines, Grace Lines, Clyde-Mallory Lines, Southern Pacific Lines, Pan American Petroleum & Transport Company, Calmar Steamship Company, and the American Scantic Line of the Moore-McCormack Company. During World War II, he was on three merchant ships which were torpedoed and sunk. He rose to the rank of First Assistant Engineer.

Leaving the sea, he entered the Cooper Union School of Engineering and earned a degree of Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering in 1948. While attending Cooper Union, he worked as an engineering drafter at Lockwood-Greene, Inc., Consulting Engineers. During this time, he also wrote numerous technical articles which were published in a variety of engineering magazines throughout the world. Soon after graduation he obtained his Professional Engineer’s license. Mr. Hicks also became a member of a number of professional organizations, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and the United States Naval Institute.

Tyler G. Hicks Enters the Publishing World

In 1950 he joined Power Magazine, published by the McGraw-Hill Companies, as Assistant Editor. He rose to Special Projects Editor. In 1957 he transferred to the McGraw-Hill Book Company as Acquisitions Editor, where he sponsored a number of outstanding engineering books that became best sellers.

The first engineering book he authored, Plant Engineer’s Easy Problem Solver, was published in 1954. A whole series of books on mechanical engineering topics followed. His most famous engineering book, Standard Handbook of Engineering Calculations, is currently in its fifth edition and has been translated into many foreign languages, as were a number of his other technical books. It is regarded as a classic by five generations of engineers and has set sales records for an engineering book. Currently, it is offered in both bound and electronic versions, as are several of his other books.

Tyler G. Hicks “The clearest and strongest thought permeating my life is based on my own experience and observation of lives of thousands of people throughout the world. This thought is: men and women can achieve in life whatever goals they set for themselves if a person combines careful planning and analysis of each objective with mental images of successful achievement. This approach seems to work everywhere, for everyone. Choosing to do what one enjoys also contributes to success because better performance occurs when people like what they’re doing. Helping others achieve their goals in life brings great rewards to both the helper and the person assisted.” TGH In 1963, Mr. Hicks authored his first business book, How to Build a Second Income Fortune in Your Spare Time. Published by Prentice-Hall, it sold more than one-half-million copies. Various authorities credit Mr. Hicks with creating a number of new acronyms in the field of business. Two of his most popular are OPM — Other People’s Money — and BWB — Beginning Wealth Builder.

Following his first business book, a whole series of titles were published in this field. His third business book, How to Borrow Your Way to a Great Fortune, sold more than one million copies throughout the world. Other best selling titles by Mr. Hicks include How to Start Your Own Business on a Shoestring and Earn up to $500,000 a Year, How to Make a Quick Fortune, How to Borrow Your Way to Real Estate Riches, and How to Make One Million Dollars in Real Estate in Three Years Starting with No Cash, published in later editions by Simon & Schuster. Mr. Hicks wrote seven of his business books while commuting from his home to New York City on the Long Island Railroad. “Delays never bother me,” he laughed to friends, “I just get more words down on paper!” His mail order and home business books were published by Prima Publishing and are distributed by St. Martin’s Press.

During his years at McGraw-Hill, Mr. Hicks also taught in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Cooper Union Evening School of Engineering.

Tyler G. Hicks Starts His Publishing Company

In 1966 Mr. Hicks started his newsletter publishing company in his spare time. Today the company publishes numerous books and courses on a variety of small-business topics: real estate, import-export, mail order, finance, and venture capital. For a number of years Mr. Hicks also owned a 10-table billiard room in Brooklyn, which gave him many hands-on ideas and experiences which he passed on to other small- business operators in his numerous books. He also offered entrepreneurs business and real estate loans through his company. A number of profitable businesses developed from these loans. Mr. Hicks’ biography has been published in Who’s Who in America every year for several decades.

In 1958, Mr. Hicks was elected to the Board of Directors of the McGraw-Hill Employees Federal Credit Union. He was elected President in 1968 and Chairman of the Board in 1975. Under his guidance the Credit Union’s assets grew from $800,000 to $150 million. He served on the Board of Directors until 2019 when the credit union was acquired by Pentagon Federal Credit Union.

Tyler G. Hicks’ Later Years

An ardent yachtsman all his life, Mr. Hicks owned a series of yachts named Success. While boating he developed a number of handy piloting and navigation guides for boat owners and yachting crews which are used by both pleasure boaters and professional mariners throughout the world. Mr. Hicks was a long-term member of both the Huntington Yacht Club and the Rockville Links Golf Club.

Mr. Hicks lectured monthly on business topics to large audiences in New York and throughout the United States for The Learning Annex and The Seminar Center. He also continued to write numerous books as well as his multiple monthly newsletters.

In 1946, Mr. Hicks married Saretta M. Gratke of Strawberry Point, Iowa. Mrs. Hicks died in 1974 and Mr. Hicks married Mary T. Shanley, of East Rockaway, New York, his secretary at McGraw-Hill for 12 years, in 1975.

Mr. Hicks died on March 12, 2020.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Hicks is survived by three children from his first marriage: Gregory Tyler Hicks of Albuquerque, NM, an architect; Steven David Hicks, of Williamsburg VA, a journalist, and Barbara Lynn Beach of Williamsburg VA, a registered nurse. Seven grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren also survive. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Dr. Richard Hicks of La Jolla CA, and Brian Hicks of New York City.