Remarks by Roger Taylor '63

My name is Roger Taylor. And I was graduated from this terrific college in 1963.

Tim Heimann was graduated in 1970.

As Tim often said, he came to Knox in 1966 and never left.

Tim came to study. He stayed to serve.

He served Knox until the end.

Tim served our college in a range of roles: admissions counselor; head resident; assistant dean of students; coach of baseball, football, tennis, and basketball; professor of sports studies; major gift officer in fundraising.

It was as head basketball coach that he was best known to most, as evidenced by the fact that his name has been immortalized in this Knox basketball and volleyball court that bears his name.

It would not be possible to name -- or even to count up -- all of the Knox students and parents whose lives Tim and Cathy touched.

But the number of Tim's former student athletes -- who are here this morning to pay respects -- gives us some idea.

Tim Heimann will be remembered as a Knox coach who professed and practiced the Knox ideal. That both words in the term "student athlete" counted.

He will be remembered as a husband. And father. And grandfather.

Less well known on campus is that Tim Heimann lived another part of the Knox ideal -- a life-long love of learning.

Tim read. He read broadly. He read widely. He read constantly.

Little wonder that both words counted for him -- student and athlete.

Little wonder that so many Knox students have counted on Tim for academic counseling.

Tim Heimann thought less about himself and more about others.

Two examples: During the 2007-2008 season, our fierce rival to the east -- Monmouth College -- introduced a new head basketball coach. The new Monmouth coach and his team struggled. The new coach received increasing public heat from the die-hard Monmouth fans.

On February 13, 2008, the Fighting Scots won the men's basketball game against the Prairie Fire. 58-52. Immediately after the game, the The Register-Mail asked Tim what happened.

Tim said, "I was out coached."

As the President of Monmouth College pointed out to me afterwards -- and as I will always believe -- Tim wasn't out-coached at all. But Tim thought that if he said that he had been out-coached in the Knox-Monmouth game, that would quell some of the critics of the young Monmouth coach, according to the Monmouth president.

The second: On February 16, Tim and Cathy came to Old Main so that Tim could say in person that because he had been given only two years to live, and because of his medical treatment was going to sap a lot of his energy, he might not be able to do 100 percent of his fundraising work.

Tim had such a sense of responsibility for our college that he came to Old Main to say in person that his illness might affect his work.

Ten days later, Tim and Cathy came back to Old Main.

He said that his time line had been moved dramatically, and in the wrong direction.

But the main reason that Tim came back to Old Main was not to give us that news. During the meeting, Tim was not pre-occupied with his impending death.

He had come grips with that.

Tim came back to Old Main to say in person that he was not going to be able to get his fundraising work done. Tim had such a sense of responsibility for his service to Knox that he came to Old Main to say in person how disappointed he was that he wasn't going to get his fundraising work done.

Thank God -- Bev Holmes thought fast enough to tell Tim that he already had laid the groundwork. He had fully completed his work for Knox.

And so you did -- Tim. For which we always will be grateful.

And which we will not forget.