Political Quotes

“even during this pandemic, people have been forming lines--6 feet apart and masked--at the corner of Emerson and Green Bay Road in Evanston, IL, to pick up Hecky's Barbeque. They come for the pulled pork, chicken wings, and especially the sauce. And for years, Hecky Powell was there with his family's recipes, his hard work, his smile, and his wisdom. Sadly, on May 22, Hecky passed away from pneumonia after a diagnosis of COVID-19. He used to say that people kept coming in for the sauce--that is what made the food great. Well, part of what made Evanston great was Hecky. For 37 years, he brought good barbeque, leadership, and kindness to Evanston, and today we pay tribute to him. Harry William ``Hecky'' Powell was born in 1948 at Cook County Hospital. Verna, his mom, had to give birth there because there was no room at the Community Hospital of Evanston, the only hospital in town that accepted Black patients. Hecky was one of nine siblings. He had a successful career in public service, serving as the director of several nonprofit agencies. One day, Hecky got an idea for a restaurant. He was dating Cheryl Judice, a sociologist who would later become his wife. They didn't know much about food, but Hecky's mom did. Verna had lost her job at a restaurant, and his dad was unemployed at the time. So when the restaurant next to Hecky's office went on the market, he figured he would buy it, and his parents could actually run the restaurant.…”