Irene Hicks Wish

At 72, her heart still wrote poetry, but her hands couldn’t respond. Parkinson’s disease made her hands shake and quiver … and unable to write.

But she had a wish … the wish of a lifetime. She wanted to write an epic poem to commemo­rate the 150th year of her alma matter, the historic Mather School. Mather was created for the daughters of freed slaves in the late 1860s and Irene wanted to use her poetry to give a voice to women of the past, present, and future.

Working with Wish of a Lifetime organization, TENA provided funding for a voice-activated computer. Irene was once again able to express her feelings on paper; and she crafted a heartfelt poem that truly conveys the Mather School’s influence on African American students.

Leaders at the Mather School were so inspired by her story they invited Irene for Founder’s Day Weekend… where her grandchildren read her poem.