Virginia
Scruggs Hickey
Coke
& Beer Distributor ~ Flag Raiser ~ Presbyterian Elder
Virginia Scruggs Hickey
Coke & Beer
Distributor – Flag Raiser - Church Elder
1918 –2003
JOPLIN, Mo.- Virginia Scruggs Hickey,
age 85, died at 3:50 p.m. on Monday, Dec.15, 2003 at Freeman Hospital. Born
July 30, 1918, she was the daughter of Edith Phillips Griffin and Bill Griffin
of Olathe, Kan. She attended Shawnee Mission High School, Kansas University,
Washburn University and University of Southern California, from where she
received a degree in economics. She was affiliated with Gamma Phi Beta sorority
and with Phi Beta Kappa honorary fraternity. Following graduation, she married
Louis Scruggs of Hutchinson, Kan. She and Louis sired two children, Susan and
Bill.
Following
the death of Louis to cancer, Virginia became president of the Hutchinson Coca
Cola Bottling Company, a family business. Following the accidental death of her
daughter Susan, Mary Stanley, a long-time friend, introduced her to Larry
Hickey, who had lost his wife to cancer. Following her marriage to Hickey and
her relocation to Joplin, Missouri,
Virginia and Larry operated the Larry Hickey Distributing Company, an
alcoholic beverage enterprise, specializing in Michelob beer, which was sold to
the Charles E. Brown Beverage Company in January 2003, several months prior to
her death.
Virginia
served as an elder at First Presbyterian Church of Joplin. She and Larry
credited themselves with founding a Fourth of July Raising of the Flag ceremony
in their neighborhood. She supported Ozark Public Television and played a role
in local politics.
Virginia was
named Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Citizen of the Year and Soroptimist Woman
of the Year. She was an Annual Gift of Life honoree for the March of Dimes in
1999. The Girl Scouts of America honored her with the Woman of Distinction
Award in 2000. The Rotary Club honored her with the Paul Harris Fellow award
and the Ozark Trails Council of Boy Scouts of America bestowed on her its
Distinguished Citizen Award.
Presbyterian
funeral services were presided over by the Rev. Bill Christman. Burial was at
Mount Hope Cemetery under the direction of Parker Mortuary of Joplin.
Every year,
more money is spent promoting the use of alcohol than any other product.
Perhaps through its elaborate and creative marketing, the most basic, yet
important fact about alcohol is often overlooked – alcohol is a drug – the most
commonly used and widely abused psychoactive drug in the world. Even at low
doses, alcohol significantly impairs the judgment and coordination required to
drive a car or operate machinery safely. Low to moderate doses of alcohol can
also increase the incidence of a variety of aggressive acts, including
domestic, violence and child abuse. Prolonged use of alcohol can lead to
addiction, resulting in permanent damage to vital organs . . . . educate your
parents! For more information, go to
the following website:
Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse