A LIFE- CHANGING IMPACT Dr. Robert E. Dicks ’65 (Biology) came to the University of Indianapolis, or Indiana Central College as it was then known, with dreams of becoming a lawyer. But a question from a faculty member changed that trajectory and changed his life—and now he’s hoping to make a similar impact with a medical scholarship named for the man who made it all possible: Dr. William Pitt Morgan. On the last day of the semester, Morgan, who taught Dicks in Biology 101, said he wanted to see Dicks in his office after class. When he heard the freshman’s plans to attend law school, Morgan asked, “Have you ever considered medicine as a profession?” When Dicks said no, Morgan replied, “I think you should.” Something sparked in Dicks. He changed his career focus and worked as Morgan’s laboratory assistant at both Indiana Central College and Indiana University’s Indianapolis campus for the next three years. The impact of the conversation and the relationship has not dimmed with time for both Dicks and his wife Marcey ’65 (Elementary Education) who have now been married 62 years. “That conversation was a career-defining moment in my life,” remembers Dicks. “Dr. Morgan saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself, something I didn’t know I could accomplish. And I’m thankful for that belief with every patient I’m able to see and to help as a physician.” After graduating from the IU School of Medicine in 1969, Dicks did a residency in family medicine at Methodist Hospital. He served two years in the U.S. Army Medical Corp at Fort Bragg establishing a family medicine residency at Womack Army Hospital in Fort Liberty, North Carolina. When he left the service in 1975, Dicks returned home to Indiana and joined Southside Family Physicians in Indianapolis as well as the staff at St. Francis Hospital. Dicks was one of two founding inpatient medicine staff members of the St. Francis Family Practice Residency Program, where he taught inpatient medicine for the residency for 36 years, as well as maintaining a busy private practice. The Family Practice Residency at St. Francis recently celebrated its 50th year and has trained more than 130 physicians.
Dr. Robert E. Dicks ‘65 (Biology) receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2025.
Bob and Marcey Dicks recently pledged a $1 million gift to the University of Indianapolis to begin a scholarship fund to help defray the cost of attending medical school after graduation. The scholarship will be awarded to a senior in the biology or chemistry department. “The sciences at UIndy have a long tradition of sending well- prepared students to medical school,” said Dr. David Styers- Barnett, professor and chair of the chemistry department. “Gifts like this only strengthen our ability to help students achieve their potential and life goals of serving others in healthcare careers.” “As the person currently holding the office in which Dr. Morgan previously held, it heartens me to see his legacy recognized in this way, by giving back to our students,” said Dr. Sandra Davis, professor and chair of the biology department. “This is such a profound example of how the impact of just one educator can truly make a lifetime of difference. We strive to give each one of our students the same type of connection.” While the accomplishments of Morgan are impressive, that’s not what motivated the gift from Bob and Marcey Dicks. It’s all about a conversation which provided a spark more than 60 years ago which has not dimmed with the passing of time. “Dr. Morgan changed my life, but I’m far from the only life he greatly influenced,” said Dicks. “He embodies the UIndy motto of ‘Education for Service.’ That’s why Marcey and I feel so strongly that our gift should be named in his honor—we want others to always remember how one class, even one conversation, can change the course of your life.”
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UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
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