Seventy three years after his class graduated, Harold Heacock is counting the days until he walks with the Cardington-Lincoln High School Class of 2017 to be awarded his Veterans Diploma.
Heacock was a member of the Class of 1944 when, during World War II he opted to join the United States Merchant Marines. From 1944-1947 his duties in the MM included that of a deck hand on his ship that was in the Pacific with stops in the Philippines, Japan and Greece.
Following his honorable discharge in 1947, he returned to Cardington to work on his brother, Ivan’s farm, and was also employed at HPM in Mount Gilead.
He was drafted into the U S Army in 1948 and was part of the Infantry. Granted an honorable disharge in 1949 he returned to Cardington and farmed with his brother, Everett. Through the years the two brothers had a success- ful hog operation while farming over 300 acres of corn and soybeans.
Married to June Wilkins of Plain City in 1959, he sold his farm in 1991 to his nephew, Doug Heacock, and the couple moved into their newly built home in Marion.
In 2001 they moved closer to their children in Logan County. Harold currently resides in Bellefontaine and his wife is a resident of Logan Acres Care Center, near Bellefontaine.
Their daughter, Melodie is a 1979 C-LHS graduate and resides with her husband, Mike, in Belle Center. Their children are Derick Endicott of Waco, Texas and Logan Conley in Columbus. Harold and June’s son, Glen, a 1983 -C-LHS graduate, lives in Huntington, Indiana with his wife, Julie. They have two children, Hunter and Harleigh. June and Harold enjoy spending time with their entire family as often as possible.
Through the years Harold has kept the hope that he would someday have his high school diploma. The family approached Cardington-Lincoln School Superintendent Brian Petrie who said “Mr Heacock is the 9th former Cardington student to be granted a Veterans Diploma since the law was enacted in 2001. That year, House Bill 77 allowed school districts to award diplomas to veterans of World War II, Korea or Vietnam who received an honorable discharge. It is such an honor to be able to grant these diplomas considering the sacrifice that was made by these men and women for their country and families. For many o them I wish that the honor would have come sooner.”
Harold plans to walk with the Cardington-Lincoln High School Class of 2017 on May 21 to receive that long awaited diploma.
