Nic Tummers passed away this week at the age of 92. The versatile honorary citizen of Heerlen was not only an artist and architect, but also an adept politician of the PvdA and as an activist he did not shy away from barricades.
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How will Heerlen remember one of his most beautiful sons? That is a question of later order, but it does illustrate the versatile talent of Nic Tummers.
Fine Arts
Tummers was the son of architect Henk Tummers and Christine Catharina Smits. He married the sculptor Vera van Hasselt (1924-2014) in 1954.
Trained as an artist at the Secondary Arts and Crafts School in Maastricht, taking lessons in Paris with sculptor Ossip Zadkine, he later earned his first money as a drawing teacher at the LTS in Heerlen. The world of fine arts was an environment where Tummers was fond of.
Schunck
But he was also concerned with more worldly matters, such as architecture, the art of building. As a teacher he was a household name for several generations of students from the Limburg Academy of Architecture, TU Eindhoven and TU Delft.
Driven by his passion for the profession, he was also involved in construction projects. Or threatened demolition. He was one of the people to whom the Heerlen glass palace Schunck has been restored in all its glory. The former department store from 1933 is now a bustling center for art and culture.
Politician
Tummers has never lost its activist feathers. As a politician in a usually somewhat boring environment, he knew his eyes were focused on him. In the Provincial States, the Senate of the States General and the Council of Europe, he stood up for social injustice. A warrior with zest.
The Heerlen received cultural awards for his efforts and in 2008 the medal of honor from the municipality of Heerlen. He was also appointed a knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (1986) and Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau (1995).
Driven input
In a farewell letter, the PvdA Heerlen writes: “Nic was a convinced social democrat and a loyal, committed and active member of the PvdA Heerlen for more than 60 years. … We will miss his presence and passionate input.”
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