Texas Tech Grad Rose from Errand Runner to Emmy-Winning Dolly Parton Producer

Hickman graduated from Texas Tech's theater department in 1974, one stop on a path that started far from any studio lot. He grew up in Mississippi and originally figured he'd follow his father into entrepreneurship, but his interests pulled him toward the stage instead. That theater degree, paired with a master's, still wasn't enough to skip the bottom rung in Hollywood.

At 27, Hickman took on the kind of grunt work most people would consider beneath their credentials. Running errands got him in the door of an industry that doesn't hand out shortcuts, and years later, that same persistence led him to a producing credit on a project starring Dolly Parton.

For Texas Tech theater grads, Hickman's story is proof the degree can lead somewhere real, even if the first steps look nothing like the destination. It also says something about Lubbock's reach. A theater program here helped shape someone who ended up standing next to Dolly Parton at a premiere.

A master's degree in theater and an Emmy still started with a leash in one hand and someone else's dog in the other.