CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Lives They Lived: Longtime Austin veteran set 'the best example'

Post-Bulletin - 3/1/2018

March 01--AUSTIN -- If you were to ask for help, chances were that Norman Hecimovich would be there to lend a hand.

Hecimovich, 83, died Feb. 18 after a life of serving his country and his fellow citizens. He's survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Helen; sons James, Mark and Bryn; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and siblings, Darrel and Gail Nucech. Norm was preceded in death by his parents and son David.

Norm was a well-known volunteer, veteran and educator. His contributions to Austin and Mower County were so extensive that the Pillars of the City program sought to recognize him this summer with a plaque on the North Main Street flood wall.

However, in light of his death, the committee announced Norm's award early.

Pillars of the City was established in 2015 by Mayor Tom Stiehm, The program acknowledges people who have made significant contributions to Austin's growth, economy, health, education, culture, business and more.

"(Norm) was just a remarkable guy, and everybody respected him," said Steve Kime, the program's chairman. "As a teacher in the Austin school system, combined with his military career and great citizenship to our country, he was that person who people looked up to."

The honor didn't surprise many. Norm was not one to sit on the sidelines.

"Norm had to be somebody who had to do something," said Jim Hecimovich, Norm's son. "He worked hard his entire life. When he retired, he was not the type who had to sit and wait to die. He had to get involved."

Do something different

Hard work was part of Norm's life from the very start. His father worked as a miner, as had generations of family members. But the cycle ended when Norm's father told him and his siblings to get a higher education.

"He was a product of generations of kids wanting to live better than the previous generation, " Jim said. "(Grandpa) expected him to go to college and to do better than he did. He didn't want him working in the mines. He wanted him to do something different."

That's what Norm did.

He started his career as a teacher in the Greenway School District in 1960, and retired on July 1, 1995, after 26 years as an elementary school principal in Austin Public Schools.

Norm was recognized with the Distinguished Principal Award in 1990, the Outstanding Leadership Award in 1994, and the Federal Outstanding Leadership Award in 1995. After his retirement from education, Norm was an consultant for the Minnesota Department of Education, and was inducted into the Greenway High School Hall of Fame in 2009.

Jim said his father was the sole influence for his career in education. Jim taught nine years with Kasson-Mantorville Public Schools, served as an elementary school principal at Kingsland Public Schools, and now is the superintendent and high school principal.

"Because of his influence on my life, I went into elementary education like he did," Jim said. "I kind of followed his path. ... He was a mentor to talk you through trouble and had lots of wisdom."

'Don't give up, Son'

Education might have been Norm's career, but his biggest passions were his country and the military.

From 1957 to his honorable discharge on Dec. 11, 1994, Norm was a dedicated soldier, having served in three conflicts: the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm.

His decorations included more than 25 separate awards for valor and meritorious service, including the Legion of Merit, paratrooper wings and Ranger tab, to name a few.

Norm also served as liaison for employer support of National Guard and Army Reserve units in Austin and Rochester. Served as ombudsman for National Guard and Reserve soldiers, and was reintegration coordinator for the Austin area.

Long after his service in active duty and reserves, Norm worked to ensure the nation's soldiers were remembered and honored. That task led to his involvement with VFW Post 1216 in Austin, where Norm served as a past American Legion color guard commander and adjutant.

Post Commander Scott Weichmann referred to Norm as his "right-hand man." Everything that Norm did for the VFW was to improve and inspire those around him, including Weichmann.

"He was always someone, that if something needed to be done, he'd do everything in his power to make sure that it succeeded," Weichmann said. "If he believed in you or in the cause, he'd support you 100 percent."

That unconditional support helped Norm's son Jim persist in his own journey in the military. Jim had trained to get into the Special Forces as a Green Beret. When Jim felt defeated or exhausted, and wondered if everything was worth it, Norm was only a phone call away.

"He'd say, 'No, you can do this. Never quit. You can do it. You can. You can. Don't give up, Son.'"

Jim served from 1982 to 1985 in the Special Forces, and spent more than 30 years in active duty and reserves with the Army.

"He was a huge influence on my life, he was my mentor," Jim said of his father. "We were both paratroopers. If he did it, I did it too. We were like two images in the mirror. That's one unique thing about us. ... it's like I gotta be like Dad. I emulate him, and I want to be as good as he is. I never will be, but I hope that I can be."

Humble moment

However, the most vivid memories Jim has of his father, are when Norm, as a member of the VFW color guard, would kneel and present a grieving widow or family member with a flag.

"To watch him do that is something that just moves me," Jim said. "It moved me to see my 80-something-year-old father bend or kneel to a grieving family member. Those were the moments that drove me to be the kind of person I wanted to be."

Norm will be interred at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, with military honors. He requested that his ashes, along with some mementos, be stored in a green, military ammunition box. Jim intends for one of his own prized possessions to be buried with his father. It is the one item that he wouldn't have been able to earn without his father's undying support: his green beret.

"I want that to be with him. I wouldn't have earned that without him," Jim said with his voice slightly cracking. "He was that catalyst and strength. He allowed me to fulfill my goal ... it's going with him."

Lives They Lived is a weekly column on a local person who left a mark during his or her life. Email news@postbulletin.com to suggest a person be featured.

___

(c)2018 the Post-Bulletin

Visit the Post-Bulletin at www.postbulletin.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.