Barbecue master hailed as the ‘unofficial mayor of Evanston’
It seems everyone in Evanston has a Hecky Powell story.
The community stalwart and owner of Hecky’s Barbecue, 1902 Green Bay Road, was a tireless presence around town, spearheading programs aimed at boosting opportunities for local youth from his famed eatery.
Powell, a lifelong Evanston resident, died early Friday morning of complications related to COVID-19, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. He was was 71.
“The outside world knew Hecky as a successful business owner and philanthropist in the Evanston community,” a statement from his family reads. “However, we knew him best as the most generous and greatest father, husband, brother, son, cousin, friend and mentor anyone could ask for. We are so lucky and grateful to have had him in our lives and being the bedrock of our family.”
Hecky’s Barbecue will be closed for the near future, according to the Powell family.
He was an Evanston cheerleader, community booster and former Evanston-Skokie District 65 school board member, among many other positions. Powell’s death leaves a hole in the community, fellow residents said. He was beloved for his work employing youth, advocating for local nonprofits and speaking out on local community matters he agreed with — or maybe more importantly, disagreed with.
“This is a tough day for Evanston,” Mayor Steve Hagerty said. “How can one person have affected so many lives in such a positive way? And he did.”
Hagerty called Powell the “unofficial mayor of Evanston,” and said it was necessary to meet with Powell when running for the official mayoral post.
“Have Hecky drive you around the 5th Ward and tell you how it used to be,” Hagerty said.
He was the founder of the Forrest E. Powell Foundation, which was named after his father and awarded scholarships to teens seeking technical training.
He also founded the Evanston Work Ethic Program, which provides paid internships, mentorships, training and tuition stipends to local students going into tech or trade fields after high school, according to the Hecky’s Barbecue
and Evanston Work Ethic Program websites.
Powell recently served as the face of Evanston’s mask campaign, asking residents to cover their faces when doing business during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city poster reads “No Mask, No Sauce,” a play on his longtime Hecky’s Barbecue slogan, “It’s the sauce!”
Former 5th Ward Ald. Delores Holmes said she remembered Powell from his days as a student at Evanston Township High School.
She called him “the example of what it means to give back to your community without expecting anything in return.”
Holmes recalled designating the street in front of Hecky’s Barbecue, which opened in 1983, as Hecky Powell Way in 2014.
City staff members were debating what to call the roadway and they decided on Hecky Powell Way “because he always does it his way,” Holmes chuckled.
She also remembered talking about old Evanston with Powell, and said “we were going to try to pull together old Evanston stuff to share with young people” before his death.
At Unity on the North Shore spiritual center in Evanston, senior Minister Kurt Condra said Powell and his family had been members for decades.
Condra described Powell as “a man of incredible faith. Beyond condition.” And while Powell himself had faced health challenges in the past — he was a liver transplant recipient — he always focused more on how he could serve and help others instead of what others could do to help him.
Powell had a “sense of warmth in his heart that rose out of a belief in the power of good and the power of love,” Condra said.
Even if Powell was critical or disagreeing with someone, there remained an “amazing sense of warmth in the room.”
He “had an ability to shine light, no matter what,”
Condra said.
Pastor Michael Nabors, with Evanston’s Second Baptist Church and president of the Evanston/North Shore NAACP, said he met with Powell, a past NAACP branch president, when Nabors arrived in town a few years ago.
“I’m so happy to walk in his footsteps at NAACP,” Nabors said. “He was a champion of our community, there’s no doubt he loved it.”
“The thing I remember most was his love of young people,” Nabors said, especially those who might not be heading to college. “He really fought for kids going to vocational schools” to secure well-paying jobs in the community.
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston, issued a statement expressing her thoughts on Powell’s death, calling him a longtime friend and “a brightly shining light” in Evanston.
“Hecky was involved in pretty much every aspect of life in Evanston, and never hesitated to express his strong opinions about everything from politics, to schools … ” Schakowsky wrote. “But above all, Hecky dedicated himself to the youth of our community. He mentored untold numbers of young people, hired them, and he gave them scholarships through his foundation named for his father. There is no one like Hecky Powell and he will be deeply missed.”
Holmes said she hopes Powell’s death reminds folks to take precautions to protect themselves and others during the pandemic.
“I wish people would take this virus seriously,” Holmes said. “People are dying.”
Nabors echoed her sentiments: “this really brings it home. He was as popular as anyone in the whole town.”
Powell is survived by his wife, Cheryl Judice, his children and grandchildren.
Services have not yet been finalized.