Two strong character traits were emerging in this energetic student — first, a penchant for public life and culture, and second, a passion for helping people, especially children.
Hackett is president of WONDERS: The Memphis International Cultural Series, a nonprofit educational and cultural institution devoted to bringing the world’s great art, culture and history to the United States.
On another front, he is involved in a number of charities that benefit children, not the least of which is serving on the Advisory Committee for Palmer Children’s Homes’ north campus under construction in DeSoto County, Mississippi, just south of Memphis, Tennessee. The Presbyterian-based children’s home has only one other location — its 106 year-old campus in Columbus, Mississippi, 150 miles southeast of Memphis.
Coincidences Shape Choices
Dick and his wife, Kathy, celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day. “We’ve been blessed with three healthy children,” says Hackett, “Jason, 19, Mary Shea, 17, and William, 13. We feel that more children ought to have the opportunity for a greater quality of life.”
He laughs today as he recounts all the “coincidences” that have occurred at critical crossroads in his life. For example, the Hacketts first met Palmer Regional Director Robert Farris and his wife Ginger years ago when both families were vacationing in Destin, Florida. The friendship has thrived ever since.
When Farris was recommending people for membership on Palmer’s DeSoto Advisory Committee, he had Hackett at the top of the list. “I think Dick can help us for two reasons,” Farris says. “One, he lives in DeSoto County, and two, he is very well known because of his stint as mayor of Memphis and his work at St. Jude [Children's Research Hospital]. He is experienced in development and raising money. He has knowledge of building projects. He is multi-faceted in his interests and his experience.”
“I think God has a plan for all of us and our responsibility is to realize that,” says Hackett. “I realize that it’s all God’s plan, not mine. My best laid plans often don’t work!”
Children’s Home to City Hall
Hackett was majoring in secondary education, social welfare and psychology, planning to be administrator for a children’s home, when he got his first taste of politics and public life. He loved that, too. He was the youngest appointee in Mayor Wyeth Chandler’s administration, serving as the mayor’s executive assistant.
He was then elected county clerk in 1978 and re-elected in 1982. Just weeks after that victory, Mayor Chandler resigned.
“You still have your signs,” friends urged him. “Go ahead, run again!” Still heady with the thrill of victory, the precocious young politician won the mayoral race, completed Chandler’s un-expired term, and later won two full terms.
Peabody Place, the new Mid America Mall business center, the Mud Island development where once-vacant woods and fields are now a high-profile residential property, the Tom Lee Park extension and other developments along the waterfront, where the Mississippi River hugs downtown Memphis — all are a part of the Hackett legacy.
“Yes,” says Hackett, “those are some of the bricks-and-mortar things. But over the years since 1992, as I get older, what I considered accomplishments back then, I don’t consider such great accomplishments today. I’m more proud of things like the expansion of community centers, the food bank, the Round Up Program where we picked up perishable food and delivered it to agencies and organizations, and the building of an Alzheimer’s day care center out in North Memphis.”
After nine years in office, Hackett suffered a narrow 1991 loss by 141 votes to current Mayor Willie Herrenton.
Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes
As patron saint of hopeless causes, St. Jude finds a worthy ally in Dick Hackett. Whatever he puts his hand to seems destined for success. Leaving the mayor’s office, Hackett again found opportunity to serve in a ministry to children. His employment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was a great fit — raising funds and overseeing expansion projects.
The Danny Thomas family put Hackett in touch with Target Corporation, and in short order he secured a commitment from Target to fund a 52-bedroom apartment building for St. Jude patients and their families. Then he initiated a deal for a long-term lease at $1 a year with the Catholic Diocese of Memphis.
“My responsibility was to coordinate the Diocese with St. Jude’s needs, literally inventing and creating a housing initiative. I oversaw the construction and tried to keep all the politics of everybody’s desires intact without losing sight of what we were really trying to accomplish.”
His stay at St. Jude turned into another rewarding nine-year season for Hackett, one in which he grew to love even more deeply his involvement with helping kids in need. But when that season ended, yet another “coincidence” was in the works.
WONDERS: The Memphis International Cultural Series, one of Hackett’s mayoral contributions to the city’s quality of life, was in need of a leader. In fact, the city was phasing the program out in late 2000 because it had begun to lose money. The Plough Foundation, however, offered $3.5 million start-up funds if the agency would go private and hire Hackett to run it. His agreement with WONDERS expressly allows Hackett to maximize involvement in other community causes, such as Palmer Homes.
On the Home Front
“Dick coached Little League baseball and other sports our children participated in,” says Kathy Hackett. “And he taught not only the skills of the game, but also how to be a good sport.”
Hackett can be talking about most any subject and, without warning or relevant connection, drop in references to his wife and children. And he’s careful to emphasize, “Kathy with a ‘K.’” He says theirs is “absolutely a fairy tale marriage and a fairy tale life.” They live in suburban Whitehaven and attend St. Paul Catholic Church there.
Kathy reveals the depth of his commitment to family when she says, “It was my job to make sure our kids’ events were on Dick’s calendar. He was at every school program, every recital, every play, every basketball and baseball game, every lacrosse game, every Scouting event.”
Still, their commitment to helping other kids in need remains as strong as ever. “The [Palmer Home] request came at a perfect time in my life,” he says. “When Robert Farris asked me to serve on this Advisory Committee, it came just a few weeks after I had left St. Jude’s and I had a tremendous void in my life, not ministering to children. I’m looking forward to helping build that new campus and, more importantly, build new lives,” he says. “That’s what sometimes is misunderstood. We’re really talking about building lives.”
Dick Hackett should know. He’s already been building them for decades.
(Randall Murphree is Editor the AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. This article courtesy of Agape Press.)
