J. Norman Heard

Funeral Services will be held at Delhomme Funeral Home Chapel of the Flowers on Monday, October 7, 2013 at 10:00 am for Joseph Norman Heard, PhD, 90, who passed away on Friday October 4, 2013 at 2:45 am at Our Lady of the Oaks Retirement Manor, in Lafayette, LA. Reverend Dan Edwards, Pastor of St. Jules Catholic Church will conduct the funeral services. Burial will take place in Fountain Memorial Gardens. Mr. Heard, a resident of Lafayette, was the son of the late Henry Heard and the former Winifred Benson. J. Norman Heard was born in Austin, Texas on October 29, 1922. He attended public school in Refugio, TX and graduated from Refugio High School in 1939. He attended Texas A and I College (now Texas A & M, Kingsville) from 1939 to 1941. At the onset of WWII he enlisted in the US Navy and was discharged in September 1945. In July 1945, while serving at the Houma Naval Air Station, he married Joyce Ann Boudreaux of that city. They have three children Steven, Diane, and Bill, all of whom live in Lafayette. Norman attended the University of Texas at Austin from 1945 until 1951. He received the Bachelor of Journalism degree in 1947, the Master of Journalism degree in 1949, and the Master of Library Science degree in 1951. While attending that university, he worked in the library. In 1951 he accepted the position of Chief Acquisitions Librarian at Texas Technological College at Lubbock. Subsequently, he was a staff member and sometimes Director of Libraries at Texas A & I, Pan American College, Northwestern Louisiana State University, Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge, Southeastern Louisiana University, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He retired in 1982. He was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree by LSU in 1977. His major field was American History and his minor field was Anthropology. His interest in American Frontier History resulted in the publications of five-volume “Handbooks of the American Frontier” which was completed in 1998. He is the author of fifteen additional books, including the autobiographical “Rewards of Hope”. Norman has been active in civic affairs for many years. He founded the South Texas Habilitation Center at Edinburg, TX and the Valley Botanical Garden in McAllen, TX. In Lafayette he was a founder of Acadian Village and the Civitan Park. An active Civitan member since 1965, he has served as president of the Civitan Club of Lafayette and the Acadian Civitan Club. He was a member of Civitan International’s Special Olympics Committee at the International Special Olympic Games at Baton Rouge in 1983. He was Governor of the Louisiana District in 1980. Mr. Heard has been an active member of the National Association of Retarded Citizens for fifty years. He served two terms as President of the Lafayette Association of Retarded Citizens and has been a member of the Board of Directors of both the Texas and Louisiana Association of Retarded Citizens. In 1976 he was awarded the President’s Cup for outstanding service by the Louisiana Association of Retarded Citizens. In 1982 the Louisiana Bureau for Handicapped Persons presented his family the Family of the Year Award. In 1983 he received Sertoma Club Service to Mankind award. In 1994 Bishop Harry Flynn presented Mr. Heard with the Diocese of Lafayette’s Devoted Services Award. He is survived by his wife of sixty eight years Joyce Boudreaux Heard; his daughter, Diane R. Heard; his two sons, Steven P. Heard and William S. Heard; several nieces and nephews; and his devoted friend Vicki Broussard. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, John H. Heard; his sister, Marion McDonnell. The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Delhomme Funeral Home on Bertrand Dr. from 4:30 pm Sunday, October 6, 2013 until 7:00 pm. A Rosary will be prayed at 5:00 pm on Sunday in the funeral home. Visiting hours will continue on Monday, October 7, 2013 from 8:00 am until the time of service. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to the Lafayette Association for Retarded Citizens 303 New Hope Road Lafayette, LA 70506. The family wishes to thank the staff of Our Lady of the Oaks Retirement Manor, Paramount Hospice, and his caregivers Shawnee and Chayme for the dedicated compassionated care given to him. Pallbearers will be Daniel W. Heard, David Heard, Dr. Gregory Osborne, Gerald P. Boudreaux, and Alvin Y. Bethard. Personal condolences may be sent to the Heard family at www.delhommefuneralhome.com. Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette, LA is in charge of funeral arrangements

J. Norman Heard

October 29, 1922 - October 4, 2013