Literacy Advocate Ben Wicks dies at 73 The National Adult Literacy Database, Inc. is saddened by the loss of literacy advocate Ben Wicks. Born in London, England, Mr. Wicks launched his career when he moved to Canada in 1957. In 1963, Wicks appeared as a syndicated cartoonist for the Toronto Telegram, with a one-panel piece called The Outcasts. The strip appeared in 52 Canadian newspapers, and ...