Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
LUCY, Nicholas R.
LUCY, Nicholas R. (Leadville, Colorado, Feb. 26, 1940--Dubuque, IA, Feb. 6, 2024). Part of the legacy "Nick" Lucy had among military veterans was his bugle call taps at funerals. He learned to play the coronet at the age of eleven before joining the East Dubuque Drum and Bugle Corps and later served as the bugler for Dubuque American Legion Post 6. Those who knew him well realized that this was only a portion of the contribution he made in Iowa. He was a passionate campaigner for veterans' benefits and rights for decades.
Raised in East Dubuque, Illinois Nick served as a submariner on the USS Medregal and then as a staff sergeant in the Air Force. He was a member of the Navy Reserve in the VIETNAM WAR.
After completing his military service, Nick became a telephone technician for NORTHWESTERN BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY. He met his future wife Linda during a company training session in Des Moines and they were married five years later. He worked for Qwest (later CenturyLink) for forty years as a central office technician. (1)
Maintaining an active role in the American Legion, Nick served as the organization's state legislative chairman for three years. He was an active member of the Communications Workers of America Local 7100 and over the years served as the vice president and steward. In 2004 he received the Bob Bennett Recognition for Good Faith in Collective Bargaining Award from the DUBUQUE AREA LABOR-MANAGEMENT COUNCIL. He served as chairman of the Dubuque Pioneers, a group of Communication Workers of America and retirees. He was the 1985 commander of the local American Legion.
He was also an activist in local Democratic politics. He spent many presidential election cycles at candidates' fundraisers and rallies and often brought his five children with him. They remembered the canvassing of voters and the decades long relationship he developed with President Jimmy Carter and his family. Joe Biden, later president of the United States, called on Nick who had just had hip surgery to see how he was improving. Nic was an alternate to the 1976 Democratic National Convention and a delegate to the 1978 convention. For several years, he hosted a weekly community access TV show, through which he promoted the Democratic agenda. Nick was a long-time member of the Dubuque Camera Club. His photos at countless Democratic and labor events appeared regularly in DUBUQUE LEADER (THE) labor newspaper for more than two decades. Nick and his wife Linda hosted many election-day Get-Out-the-Vote efforts and neighborhood caucuses. He was inducted into the Dubuque Democratic Party Hall of Fame in 2010. (2)
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Source:
1. Locicero, Michael. "Lucy Still Plays Taps, Key Role for Veterans Group," Telegraph Herald, February 24, 2013. p. 53
2. "Dubuque Democratic Party Hall of Fame. Online: http://www.dbqdemocrats.org/about-us/hall-of-fame-inductees/