Vic
Heyman:
Slide Show of Photos by
Neale and Laurie Eckstein:
http://www.foxrun.org/vic%20heyman
(above photo is from their collection)
Song About Vic, listen to
the original version written and sung by Amy Speace, Jagoda, Tom Prasada-Rao and
Cary Cooper. It's called Travel Well.
You can hear it at
http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/audio_player/detachable_player/artist_321312?autoPlay=true
SCROLL DOWN FOR MANY ARTICLES AND
PERSONAL TRIBUTES:
Victor K. Heyman; Defense Official,
Businessman and Folk Music Figure
The Washington Post
Friday, January 9, 2009
Article by Adam Bernstein
Photo of Vic and Reba by
Ellen Bukstel
Victor
K. Heyman, 73, a deputy assistant secretary of defense in the 1960s who later
started a direct-mail company and became a noted figure in Washington area folk
music circles as a concert presenter, died Jan. 6 at Westside Regional Medical
Center in Plantation, Fla. He had Parkinson's disease.
Dr. Heyman was a political
scientist, in addition to a defense official, and later did health-care
consulting and investigated fraud for the inspector general's office of the
old Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
His
final federal job, in the early 1980s, was as director of evaluations for the
Health Resources and Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services.
It was a wide-ranging career,
said his wife of 52 years, Reba Watson Heyman. She added: "He said every eight
years, he wanted to re-pot himself."
Starting in the late 1970s, he
and his wife co-owned and operated Heyman Mailing Service in Rockville, a
direct-mail company with clients ranging from arts organizations to political
clients. They sold the business in 2001.
Dr. Heyman traced his interest in
folk music to the genre's revival after World War II. At Heyman Mailing
Service, he offered low rates to mail tour schedules for leading folk
musicians, including Cheryl Wheeler, Patty Larkin, Christine Lavin and John
McCutcheon.
In 1996, Dr. Heyman and his wife
started the Vic's Music Corner concert series at O'Brien's Pit Barbecue
restaurant in Rockville. Vance Gilbert and the duo of Lowen and Navarro were
among the artists they brought in to perform.
Mr. Heyman was a past board
member of the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, participated in showcase
selection committees for many other folk organizations and reviewed CDs for
the folk publication Sing Out!
In 2002, the Washington-based
World Folk Music Association presented its appreciation award to Mr. Heyman
and his wife for their contributions to the folk music community.
Victor Kenneth Heyman was born in
Washington and raised in Los Alamos, N.M., where his father worked as a patent
lawyer for the Atomic Energy Commission.
He was a 1954 graduate of
Washington University in St. Louis, where he also received a doctorate in 1957
in political science. He earned a master's degree in political science from
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
He served in Air Force
intelligence and was a political science teacher at Marshall University in
West Virginia before joining the Pentagon in 1961. He became deputy assistant
secretary of defense for Southeast Asia programs.
In 1969, he was named senior
associate in the Washington office of Cresap, McCormick and Paget
international management consultants. He was a specialist in health care at
the company before moving to HEW.
Besides his wife, of Rockville,
survivors include four children, Steven Heyman of Chicago, David Heyman of
Bethesda, Richard Heyman of Stony Brook, N.Y., and Judy Heyman of Vallejo,
Calif.; and three grandchildren.
A LOCAL LIFE: VICTOR HEYMAN
Defense Official Became Folk Music
Benefactor
By
Kay Coyte
Washington Post
Staff Writer
Sunday, February 22, 2009; Page C09
Dr. Victor
Heyman and his wife, Reba, shown at a folk festival in 2008, were known as the
financial guardians of countless folk performers nationwide. (By Neale
Eckstein)
His generosity
ranged from financial backing of folk music venues and festivals to no-strings
loans to down-on-their luck musicians, to thousands of acts of random
kindness. Dr. Heyman, a Rockville resident who died Jan. 6 at 73, was the
financial guardian of countless folk performers nationwide.
When Vermont songbird Rachel Bissex was dying of cancer in 2005, Dr. Heyman in
short order spearheaded a two-disc tribute CD of her songs performed by some
of the best of her contemporaries, from Patty Larkin to The Kennedys. More
than $50,000 was raised for a college fund for Bissex's children.
When singer Tom Prasada-Rao, then of Takoma Park, was trying to make an
impression in the New Folk competition at the prestigious Kerrville Folk
Festival in Texas, Dr. Heyman and his wife, Reba, made T-shirts bearing
Prasada-Rao's likeness, sat in front-row seats and created a buzz that helped
him win that 1993 competition.
When Dr. Heyman won a $500 grand-prize drawing from CD production company
Oasis Disc Manufacturing, he handed it over to Texas-based singer-songwriter
Jenny Reynolds, who applied the windfall to her next recording, "Next to You."
" Victor Heyman, a Defense Department official during the counterculture
1960s, emerged in later years as a widely recognized folk angel."
When folk concert and festival producer Maureen Harrigan adopted four
special-needs children, then fell on hard times, the kindness came in a series
of checks quietly slipped to her: help with utility bills, tuition for an
after-school karate program, a rare dinner out. "Vic was our guardian angel,"
said Harrigan of Martinsville, W.Va. "He was always there to sustain you, to
do whatever he could to keep you alive."
"That kind of giving is in itself inspiring," said Reynolds, whose gift from
Dr. Heyman had come out of the blue. 'It wasn't a status symbol for him to be
generous. No one was ever asked to name a wing of a building after him. . . .
What was important to Vic and Reba was helping people, not helping
themselves."
In recent years, Dr. Heyman was slowed by the effects of Parkinson's disease.
But he continued to attend shows (always sitting in the front), keep up
correspondence and support the singer-songwriters he considered his adopted
children. (Dr. Heyman is survived by his wife of 52 years as well as their
four children.)
Since his death, the tributes have flowed for the sometimes gruff but always
lovable man who was a folk-scene fixture. The Heymans traveled the world,
always finding the local folk music club, much as birdwatchers check off a
list of bird sightings. "I looked at their calendar one time," Harrigan said,
"and they had gone to 276 folk shows, and it wasn't even the end of the year
yet."
Victor Kenneth Heyman, a native Washingtonian, received a doctorate in
political science from Washington University in St. Louis and served as deputy
assistant secretary of defense for Southeast Asia programs in the 1960s.
Starting in the late 1970s, he and his wife operated Heyman Mailing Service in
Rockville, a direct-mail company with clients from arts organizations to
politicians. At the business, which they sold in 2001, they offered low rates
to mail tour schedules for folk musicians.
While Dr. Heyman traced his interest in folk music to the genre's revival
after World War II, he became more interested in singer-songwriters who often
were hard to categorize: folk/acoustic/roots/Americana/pop. Dr. Heyman, who
reviewed CDs for Sing Out! magazine, would sing the praises of a new artist,
always with great enthusiasm.
"It wasn't like he was promoting a label or trying to sell CDs," said David
Eisner of the Institute of Musical Traditions, a folk arts preservation
organization. "He just loved the music."
Dr. Heyman's preference for under-the-radar assistance to folk musicians
presented a quandary for concert presenters who recently staged a tribute for
him. "A moment of silence just doesn't seem appropriate," said local folk
music promoter Scott Moore, whose Focus Music was a co-sponsor of the Feb. 2
event. "Vic would have preferred a moment of music."
The tribute, attended by about 100 friends and folk fans, raised funds to
create Heyman Grants to help aspiring musicians travel to Kerrville. The
18-day Texas festival is known internationally as a mecca for
singer-songwriters and a launching pad for performers, including Lyle Lovett
and Lucinda Williams.
At the Feb. 2 show, Eisner recalled walking into Heyman Mailing Service. "It
looked more like a recording studio than a mailing office," Eisner said.
"There were photos of musicians everywhere, many of them standing with Vic."
Musicians also received Dr. Heyman's professional advice, sometimes stern but
always honest, said Cary Cooper of Dallas, one of many singers whose second
CDs were financed in part by Dr. Heyman. Then there was his sense of humor.
Ellen Bukstel, a Florida singer and graphic artist, was caught nodding off
while awaiting a turn onstage. Dr. Heyman printed the snapshot on a coffee mug
and mailed it to his friend.
"It's typical of Vic because it just arrived out of nowhere on my doorstep,
and it made me laugh -- and he knew it would make me laugh," said Bukstel, who
is holding a Heyman tribute show at her house late next month.
Musicians also have weighed in with a song.
"Travel Well," by the husband-wife duo of Prasada-Rao and Cooper as well as
Amy Speace and Jagoda, includes a pledge to Reba Heyman ("we will hold her in
the circle") and a fond farewell:
Fare thee well gentle child
You have carried us this far.
Now we'll let you lead the choir
From your seat among the stars.
From the Gazette Newspaper in Montgomery County, Maryland:
Music
man remembered: Benefit concert honors folk angel
Chris
Slattery | Staff Writer, The Gazette
Vic
Heyman wasn't a singer, and he didn't play guitar. He spent the counterculture
hippie heyday of folk music toiling for the Nixon administration in the halls of
the Pentagon. And yet when he died in Florida just a few weeks ago, the folk
music community in the D.C. area and beyond was united in grief for the man
Phyllis Barney, the former executive director of the D.C.-based Folk Alliance,
called "our most wonderful folk angel."
But the
singer-songwriters Heyman championed so fervently for decades weren't content to
lay down their instruments and cry for the man who founded the Vic's Music
Corner concert series in 1996. Scott Moore, the house concert sponsor, folk
music facilitator and president-elect of Focus, announced plans to stage a
benefit concert at the Institute of Musical Traditions in Saint Mark
Presbyterian Church in Rockville. The Monday night lineup features eight of
Heyman's favorite acts, and Moore says that "proceeds from the concert [and
planned tribute CD sales] will fund the creation of a scholarship program to
help send D.C. area performers to participate in the Kerrville New Folk
contest."
Which is
exactly what Heyman would have wanted.
"He
always loved the singer-songwriters," says Reba Heyman, who married Vic in 1956
after a three-month courtship. "He just wanted to make a difference in their
lives: you can't imagine the cards I've been getting [since he died]."
Despite
his huge presence on the folk scene, Heyman spread his time and treasure around,
raising four children, producing shows at Olney Theater Center, coaching
basketball teams and even tutoring the young players in algebra "so the team
could stay together.
"He just
liked to help people," Reba says. "Whatever he did, he got really passionately
involved."
D.C.-born Heyman was a political scientist with a doctorate from Washington
University in St. Louis. He worked as a deputy assistant secretary of defense,
"one of "McNamara's whiz kids," as Reba puts it.
"He did
so many different things, and did them well," says their son David. "He
reinvented himself, from professor to government worker to businessman. The
music [business] was something that came later in life."
There
always was music – "I remember telling my mom and dad to turn their Peter, Paul
and Mary records down," David laughs. But even though they loved folk music, the
Heymans didn't get intimately involved with the artists until they started
Heyman Mailing Service, a direct mail company in Rockville. Reba says they
offered folksingers (like Christine Lavin) a discount; soon, they were going to
festivals and offering moral and financial support. All told, Heyman was a board
member of the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, on several showcase selection
committees for folk organizations and reviewed CDs for the folk publication Sing
Out! when he wasn't finding ways to finance, showcase and encourage his favorite
artists.
"We just
kind of edged into it," Reba says. "And he just seemed to revel in it. It's
amazing to me.
"I don't
know what the inner motivation was; it just sort of evolved."
Singer-songwriter Siobhan Quinn says the evolution made a difference in many
lives.
"He
literally took people he didn't know at all and gave them a boost," says Quinn,
who will perform with her husband Michael Bowers at Monday's concert. "The
spirit of Vic is going to be in music for decades to come."
Bowers
says, "I don't think people will ever know how much Vic Heyman – and Reba –
contributed to the arts in general or folk music in particular.
"Some
was immediate, providing money to artists who couldn't afford transportation or
entry fees. But they also helped sustain the structure our genre lives on: the
festivals, the concerts.
"He was
not just a benefactor; he was a supporter in every aspect of the word."
Singer-songwriter Bet Williams is also grateful to Heyman. She says he did
everything from sitting in the front row at rain swept folk festivals to buying
her a new guitar when her old one broke just before an important gig in Philly.
"He's
such a big hero in the folk world," she says, determined not to use the past
tense when speaking of Heyman. "It's a terrible loss for us. Vic – and his wife
Reba, too – they were always supporters of the big festivals and the small ones,
too."
Williams, originally from Virginia, will perform at Monday night's tribute.
"All
Vic's favorites, of course," she says. "And a song called 'Looking Down the Road
for You.'
"Where
I'm from in the South, we don't say good-bye," she explains.
"You say
'I'll be looking down the road for you' – and I will be."
A
tribute concert in honor of Vic Heyman, cosponsored by the Institute of Musical
Traditions and Focus Music (which is continuing Vic's Music Corner at
O'Brien's), will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Monday at Saint Mark Presbyterian Church,
10701 Old Georgetown Road, Rockville. Tickets are $25, $20 in advance, and
benefit a scholarship fund in Heyman's honor.
From the Folk Alliance Listserve:
The passing of Vic Heyman marks a passage in the life of the North American
folk movement. We need to mourn him, commemorate this moment, and renew our
spirit and resolve to guide folk music through the 21st century in Vic's
honor.
Most of us have seen the outward and visible signs of Vic's presence in the
folk world: the concert series, the Convention showcases, the Festival
participation, the printed guides and schedules - "Vic's Picks."
What many did not see was Vic Heyman's steadfast and energetic concern,
attention, guidance and - when needed - criticism behind the scenes. Vic took
the governance of our Folk world very seriously, and never stinted his
intellect or insight to help us do a better job.
I know that I have personally enjoyed many a sit-down with this kind man
reminding me of the problems in front of us. He could be sharp when he felt
we were slacking. He was so touchingly trusting with the people on the front
lines. He understood what it meant to man a telephone or build a stage or
promote a gig. What he could never
abide was falseness or laziness by the people entrusted with the big picture.
We feared his wrath and it made us better governors of Folk organizations
large and small.
Now we must enter a new era knowing that Vic has moved to the real VIP seats.
Reba will carry his memory and our love into the years ahead. All those
who Vic has supported over the years are feeling the loss and the love. We
will all work a little harder to pick up his end of the yoke, and thank
Providence for his presence in our lives.
The Late, Great Vic
Heyman:
Vic Heyman passed away on
Tuesday (January 6), leaving the Folk community to mourn the loss of one of
the most supportive individuals to have graced this international "family."
To the thousands who knew Vic and his wife, they were only ever referred to
as ‘Vic and Reba’ – one and indivisible.
Committed folkies, they were SO
much more than enthusiastic supporters. For a number of years they ran a
very successful concert series in the Washington D.C. area, but their love
of the music AND the people who make music took them to all corners of the
globe. Vic and Reba attended every Folk Alliance conference as well as many
regional events. Vic was a former board member of the Kerrville Folk
Festival and they attended numerous festivals across the country each
summer. Vic and Reba also wrote reviews for Sing Out! magazine.
While the foregoing could be
described as their tangible public contribution, behind the scene, Vic and
Reba became "parents" to numerous musicians in the Folk community. In
nurturing these "children" they helped those artists gather the courage to
go out on a stage and realize a dream. The through occurs that their
encouragement, maybe, helped those artists write better songs. It has to be
said that, in the Folk community, their support and endearing friendship was
legendary.
Vic has been in poor health
during the past year. Vic and Reba didn’t make Kerrville 2008, Vic was
hospitalised at the time, but they attended Falcon Ridge a few weeks later
and were at NERFA in November.
At this sad time, the Folk
community sends its sincere condolences to Reba and ‘all’ her children.
Based on an obituary posted
on WFDU-FM Ron Olesko’s blog site and used here with his kind permission.
Personal Tributes
(from members of the South Florida Folk Clubs and other Folk Music online
sites):
At my first Folk Alliance in Memphis a little over 10 years ago I first
heard of Vic and Reba Heyman. I remember hearing their names spoken often
in holy reverence. I was brand spankin new to the Folk world so I became
kinda in awe of these two larger than life figures. I remember first
gleaning them from about 15 feet in Rhonda Barton’s showcase, I was
nervous and actually somewhat intimidated. Then a few years I had the
opportunity to meet and speak with them face to face for the first time at
Falcon ridge, to quote Christine Lavin “WHAT WAS I THINKING!?!?”. I
immediately discovered what wonderfully warm and loving people they were.
Vic and Reba became my Folkie parents from that moment on and I came to
love them as such (as has so many before and after me). Over the years I
came to cherish every moment spent in their friendship.
Jackie of Small Potatoes summed Vic up in one statement this past
Saturday, whether leaning on his cane on recently his walker every time
you would ask Vic how he was he would energetically and earnestly exclaim,
“I AM GRRRREAT!!!”. And that is EXACTLY what Vic was, GREAT!! Always a
giant smile and fatherly twinkle in his eye, he was who I aspire to be
even in a small part. I thank the universe that I was fortunate to have
the time I did knowing Vic and am honored to still be part of the Heyman
family in friendship with Reba.
Living here in South Florida just a few minutes from Vic and Reba’s winter
retreat I was able to spend time with them both and their daughter Judy at
the hospital during Vic’s last days. I do not think that I could have
been as strong as Reba under the same circumstances, she graciously
accepted all hugs in any form from the world music community while being
concerned if anyone was left out. What a gentlewoman. Reassuring Vic
that Rachel Bissex was waiting at the campfire on the other side tuning
her guitar, Reba’s gentle loving voice comforted Vic that it was alright
to let go. Most of us only dream of finding such a love. Vic left us as
he lived life; no pussy footin around, energetic to the end and with
dignity and honor.
As I type with tears I know that I will miss Vic for the rest of my life,
both he and Reba have made a profound impact on my life. The gift of his
love for people and music will guide me until I see him again on the other
side. We can all celebrate Vic’s life by doing what ever we can to keep
the music alive and love each other the best that possible.
Godspeed gently man. You will
always be in my heart.
Dave Cambest.
I only met Vic (and Reba) in
2004, but came to look forward to seeing them out there in the folkie
world from time to time. I mean these two are my kind of heroes, standing
up for folk musicians, the absolute little guy on the block, the scruffy
nadir of the musical curve. Vic was mostly quiet, but I have to relay this
one story, which I think shows the good sense (and funny bone) that Vic
possessed. Nick Annis will attest to it.
We--Vic, Nick, and I--were sitting under Ellen's big patio cum concert
venue about a year ago discussing the future of folk music. Vic
was asking, with good reason, "How are you guys gonna survive in this
economy?" It was just starting to cave in about then.
Being a smart-ass, I said, "Don't worry, Vic. I think there's a way out.
It's simply a matter of becoming virtual. I have this friend who now lives
a goodly chunk of his life on something called 'Second Life'. He gives
concerts and has this avatar that shows up to do the gig. The avatar is
much better looking than my pot-bellied, middle-aged friend, but the music
is all 'actual', so to speak. Anyway, he gets to perform in this really
fancy, well lighted, virtual venue with a killer virtual sound system,
virtual high-dollar lighting, etc. He lives on a house boat when he's not
gigging that docks near the venue, so there's no gas costs with getting to
the show. All these other beautiful virtual avatars stroll through the
door, sit around, listen to the music, write him emails and . . . here's
the real kicker, he get's paid off in virtual money. So that's where I see
us headed. Virtual music for virtual people and getting paid off in
virtual dollars . . . which (about a year ago this was at least true)
ain't that different from the actual greenback."
Vic then looks at me, shakes his head, and says, "Well, one thing's for
certain, your stomach ain't virtual!"
Nick and I laughed so hard we nearly fell out of our chairs. Vic and Reba
are rare spirits. I'm sad to see one of them gone but feel incredibly
blessed to have known Mr. Heyman for the bit of time I did.
John William Davis
An acknowledgement:
The series at O'Brien's (in Rockville, Maryland) is called "FOCUS Presents
Vic's Music Corner," named for the great Vic Heyman. Vic was a giant of
our acoustic music community who (with his wife Reba) presented shows and
nurtured songwriting talent for decades. This morning I received the sad
news of Vic's passing. Our thoughts are with Reba Heyman and their
family. All of us who knew him are grateful for all of Vic and Reba's
generosity and passionate support for this music community over the years.
Warm regards, Pat Wictor
Vic, with his beloved
partner Reba, have had a profound impact on our Community. With their
support, in so many ways, the music, it's makers, the listeners, and
venues have flourished.
With a smile and reassuring
hugs they have encouraged many......forging lasting friendships all over
the continent.
"Making a difference" has
been their daily work.
The late
Vic Heyman and his wife Reba
Vic Heyman passed away on Tuesday, and the folk community is mourning the
loss of one of the most supportive individuals to have graced our
"family".
Vic and his wife Reba were folkies who were so much more than just
enthusiastic supporters. For a number of years they ran a very successful
concert series in the Washington DC area, but their love of the music AND
the people who make music would bring them to all corners of the globe.
You would see Vic and Reba at every Folk Alliance conference and many
regional events as well. Vic was a former board member of the Kerrville
Folk Festival and they attended numerous festivals across the country each
summer. Vic and Reba also wrote reviews for Sing Out! magazine.
But that is just the surface contributions. Vic and Reba became "parents"
to many of the musicians that make up our wonderful community. Their
support and encouragement went beyond the casual service that most people
give. Vic and Reba embraced this community and the individuals that made
it - and I sincerely think that it is because of people like Vic and Reba
that in recent years we have been treated to some of the most powerful
songs and artists. Their nurturing of their "children" helped many artists
gather the courage to go out on a stage and to realize a dream. Their
support and endearing friendship was legendary.
I had the pleasure of serving with Vic and Reba on the formal showcase
committee for the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. I remember one year a
certain songwriter won the hearts of Vic and Reba, and also myself. The
other judges were not as thrilled. Vic and Reba created t-shirts with this
artists picture and wore them during the weekend, always cheering her on
whenver she performed in a showcase.
The last few years had been tough on Vic, but he still kept going. They
were at Falcon Ridge this year, and in November we had a chance to see
them at NERFA. I don't think anyone thought it would be goodbye.
My thoughts, prayers and love are with Reba and her family. I will always
remember Vic with a deep fondness. He was an inspiration and I hope I can
give back some love to this wonderful folk community as he did every
single day.
Posted by RON OLESKO at Tuesday, January 06, 2009
