Charles Hickam

Charles Hickam MD, DABR, MSEE conceded to a grade IV glioblastoma on August 27, 2022, at the age of 72. He is survived by his devoted wife and companion of 42 years, Patty Shuman; his two loving nephews, Dustin Hoefel (Kelsey) and Zachary Hoefel (LeeAnn); great-nephews, Colby, Blake, and Mason; great-niece Elena; and all of Albuquerque.

Charlie was raised in Albuquerque and had a propensity for academics, and he liked to say he made it through to the 27th grade. He was a 1968 Manzano High School graduate and in 1972 he obtained his BS in Electrical Engineering from UNM "because they accepted Fortran for their foreign language requirement" then completed his Masters in Electrical Engineering at Texas Tech University in 1974. Pursuing adventure (and money) he went to work as a field engineer for Schlumberger in the Middle East for two years then returned to the US as a staff engineer at Sandia Labs. Charlie was a masterful and well paid engineer, but something was missing and wanting to be directly helpful to others in a face-to-face way led him to UNM Medical School from 1977-1981. Thereafter he melded his interests in engineering and patient care with a four-year radiology residency at West Los Angeles VAMC, chief resident his fourth year. Charlie returned to UNM in 1990 to complete a Vascular and Interventional Radiology Fellowship. Then as with most of his life as a non-planner (to his wife's chagrin) with his eyes closed he pointed to a state on the US map; Tennessee became his next career move. For the next ten years he worked as an interventional radiologist with Kingsport Radiology Group, Kingsport, TN. There he and his wife made ongoing life-long friendships. They returned to Albuquerque to join Radiology Associates of Albuquerque in 2001, as he liked to say he returned to ABQ "because he couldn't stand prosperity". From 2008-2013 he was an interventional radiologist with the VAMC in Albuquerque. For his last professional swan song, he worked as a radiologist in New Plymouth, New Zealand until 2014.

Charlie was physically active his entire life indulging in tennis, skiing, basketball, biking, gym rat, yoga and his nemesis, golf. He was a solar eclipse aficionado and avid star gazer and always orchestrating telescope and space station viewings. A guy of many interests he was also a certified deep water scuba diver (no easy task in ABQ), elk hunter, marksman and frustrated tomato farmer.

Charlie was preceded in death by his parents Raymond and Edna Hickam; his sister Suzanne Hickam Hoefel and her husband David Hoefel; all of Albuquerque.

Charlie will be desperately missed for his quiet quick wit, dry sense of humor, listening skills and his provocative emails. Everybody loved Charlie. In his memory, Charlie asked "that you share a late afternoon libation with a friend."

A Memorial Service will take place on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, 10:00 a.m., at FRENCH - Lomas. The service will be live streamed and posted on the online obituary.