I'm Realkyhick, short for "Real Kentucky hick," a nickname someone hung on me in my current home of Birmingham, Alabama. I'm a retired journalist.

Around Birmingham I'm sometimes known as "The Loudest Man in High School Sports" because of my work with various schools as a public address announcer for their football, basketball and other sports games, primarily for the now-closed Garywood Christian School.

On Labor Day 2007 I founded the Wikipedia Intensive Care Unit. It's a place to "heal" articles about subjects that are probably notable, but the article themselves face imminent deletion for other reasons. The project has since become inactive and tagged as "historical."

I spend much time on new-page patrol, where I've tagged for speedy-deletion a seemingly infinite number of articles about just-formed garage bands. I guess you could call me a confirmed deletionist. I recently removed a part of the article Hoover High School (Alabama) about a non-notable alumnus (actually he did not attend the school, but played for a lacrosse club associated with the school), even though it had a reference — for an article that I wrote! Pretty sad, I suppose.

I'll decorate this page with more stuff when I get a chance.

Words to live by at Wikipedia

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"The best-written article in the world won't make a non-notable subject notable."

Neat tools

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This page has a lot of neat table formatting and template helps: User:Pdfpdf/Tools and references. (I added this as much for myself as for anyone else.)

 
This editor is a Senior Editor III and is entitled to display this Rhodium Editor Star.
  The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar
Realkyhick, Many thanks for saving the article on Aging in Place. The article will help many faced with life changing decisions and it couldn't have happened without your help!PEACE TalkAbout 02:31, 8 March 2007 (UTC)
  The Editor's Barnstar
Great work monitoring newly created pages. TeaDrinker 00:48, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for being concerned about the newly created AeroXperience page. Even though you acted counter to my wishes (in terms of initially disputing notability), your quick attention to newly created articles is, nonetheless, very commendable. Thanks for being an awesome citizen on Wikipedia. Atividia (talk) 06:48, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

  The Barnstar of Good Humor
Thanks for making me laugh just now. --ROGER TALK 18:12, 24 July 2007 (UTC)
  The RickK Anti-Vandalism Barnstar
Overdue recognition for RCPatrolling and having to put up with the abuse of those whose articles were deleted.Dlohcierekim's sock (talk) 03:21, 3 July 2008 (UTC)
  The Original Barnstar
For continuing on with important CSD tagging/new page patrolling, without which WP would very quickly become a place for unsigned, 'up and coming' artists and musicians. Keep up the good work! GedUK  08:52, 15 December 2009 (UTC)