Norbert Heese Remembered - November, 2016
Norbert Richard Heese passed away on November 7 in California where he had travelled to be with his daughter, settle down for retirement and to sail the Pacific in his recently purchased yacht. He was diagnosed 3 months earlier with cancer (kidney), was progressing well in treatment but later succumbed to side-effect complications.
Norbert started paddling a little late compared to others who did well in the sport but soon managed to win Junior C-2 with Guy Bourdeau then Junior C-1 at the nationals within his first 5 years. He then won Senior C-1 and Senior C-2 with his brother Fred at CCA in Ottawa in 1965. He was a very humble athlete, well-liked by everyone.
Norbert had a PhD in Physics and worked his entire career as a specialist of linear accelerators. He worked on Long Island at the Brookhaven National laboratory in the National Synchrotron Light Source Department which he headed-up for several years.