A Man of Honor has Left Us

This is a look at a man with a rare degree of honor. George Hickman was a Tuskegee Airman, instructor, usher and displayed a quality of character that honored everyone he came into contact with.



I read some sad news in the newspaper recently. A small article was placed at the bottom of a page underneath a piece about a movie director that committed suicide. It was found even further down from the article about Phyllis Diller passing away at the age of 95. The article started out with: “Tuskegee airman dies in Seattle.” An old World War II veteran named George Hickman had died at the age of 88.

It continued to state that he had won the congressional gold medal and had worked as an usher at the University of Washington stadium. The article was respectful, but I felt it lacked the magnitude and position this man deserved.

Many people feel they have a clear definition for the word “hero.” A hero is a person of distinguished courage or ability, looked up to for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Often, it’s someone that has put their life on the line for others. This title raises the otherwise ordinary person to an exclusive class of individuals that have earned a unique level of respect and admiration from the rest of humanity.

However, I am aware that there are qualities of character found in some heroes that can advance this title far past the standard definition. There are some that live their life in such a manner that they exist in a constant state of honor.

When Harry S. Truman left the White House, after his final term as president of the United States, he moved back into the same small house that his wife’s mother and father lived in. When he was offered endorsement jobs, he told them that the title of president wasn’t for sale. He lived out his life as a humble man. His character gave him a degree of honor that is, for the most part, unseen in today’s politician.

One of my hobbies is World War II aircraft, so I had already known about the Tuskegee Airmen long before the movie with that title name came out. The movie informed most people of what black aviators had to endure to participate as a fighter unit in the war against Germany. I can’t see anyone going through the obstacles that were put in their way, by the racially bigoted military leaders of the time, and not have a surprisingly high quality of character.

In 1955, he met and married his wife in Amarillo, Texas, while volunteering with her mother at a local library, according to an Army profile. In an interview, Doris Hickman said she was drawn to her husband's character because "he has always put others first and tried to make the world a better place."

George Hickman was a Tuskegee Airman. When the war was over, he worked for Boeing in Seattle, Washington, as an engineer-training instructor, but for the last forty years, he’s been happy to serve as an usher at the stadium where he would cheer the Seahawks and Huskies to victory. Some men, after being a war hero, and a Boeing instructor, might think an usher’s job “beneath” them. There was no “beneath” in George’s character.

His position, while ushering indoor games, was underneath the stands, across the hall from the home locker rooms. Each time they played, as the Washington players took the floor, they passed by George and received a high-five from him.

He was far more than a good-luck charm. He was a piece of camaraderie that the Washington players could take onto the court with them.

This man was known for his smile and warmth. He had a smile for everyone and was called “a source of eternal sunshine.” The people at the stadium knew him simply as “George” and he was always seen shaking hands and hugging both fans and players.

It is a rare honor when a man can stand so tall without having to rise to his feet and it is sad to know that the world has lost such a man. I can only hope that the honor that was George Hickman was passed onto those lucky people around him that he loved so much.

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