Art Hickey was elected to the MTA Board in 1962 and was elected Vice-President at that time. He remained Vice-President until assuming the presidential position when Clae Montgomery declined the job on July 8, 1968 due to a heart condition. Art remained president all through the initial years of building the MTA grounds until he resigned from that position for business reasons on April 23, 1969. At all times on the board he served either as Vice-President or President. There is no question that his leadership of the MTA was one of the main reasons we have our MTA grounds today.
Art was a very good shooter as well. For years he shot skeet and was a very good shooter in that sport. Art Hickey and Boyd Williams were almost inseparable. When Boyd started shooting trap in 1954, it was only a matter of time that Art joined him.
The second registered shoot that Art shot in trap was at Berrien Springs – the State Shoot no less. Art won the 16-yard championship with 199 x 200 and all alone. Ned Lilly and Bud Loucks had 198s.
He had a lot of great days in shooting and soon became one of the best doubles shooters anywhere, winning three state titles in doubles.
On one occasion at the Ohio State Shoot, Art broke 200 16-yard targets, 100 doubles, and 99 handicap. Out of 399 x 400, the only handicap target he missed was a broken target, and at that time if you shot at a piece of target, you owned it.
Art tied for the Vandalia handicap with a 99 and had many other great days. Obviously, he could qualify for the Hall of Fame either for shooting or for contribution to the MTA with leadership
(* Deceased)