Tribal elder, WWII veteran dies at age 83

PLEASANT POINT – Joseph “Cozy” Nicholas, a Passamaquoddy tribal elder, historian and World War II veteran who represented his people for many years in the Legislature, died Thursday in Pleasant Point after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 83.

Nicholas was a longtime barber, first in Bangor and later in Eastport. He lived his entire life in Maine, aside from his deployment overseas in the 1940s on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, and was well known and respected throughout the Passamaquoddy community for his commitment to preserving American Indian culture.

“He was really an icon of cultural renewal and a living example of a person who did things instead of said things,” said Wayne Newell, a tribal member and University of Maine trustee who knew Nicholas for many years. “He believed that you need to carry pride in who you are wherever you go. He was committed to that not just in cultural events, but in his own life.”

The Passamaquoddys, both at Pleasant Point and Indian Township in Washington County, are among four local Algonquin Nation tribes along with the Houlton Band of Maliseets, the Aroostook Band of Micmac and the Penobscot Nation on Indian Island.

Nicholas was perennially involved in planning the Passamaquoddy Tribe’s annual Indian Day Celebration and recently he worked unsuccessfully to secure a racino for Washington County as a means for economic development in the poor region.

“Joe possessed a great and genuine warmth, a legendary sense of humor and quick wit and a keen intellect,” said Sen. Kevin Raye, R-Washington County. “His passion for instilling pride in the heritage and culture of the Passamaquoddy Tribe and preserving its native language will continue to touch lives for generations to come.”

Nicholas served as the tribal representative to the Maine Legislature for 12 years in the 1950s and 1960s. Throughout his lifetime, he devoted himself to preserving the culture of the Passamaquoddy people. He reintroduced tribal music and dances and co-founded the Waponahki Museum at Pleasant Point in 1987.

“A number of years ago, he decided our image in the media and movies wasn’t right and he fought to change that. He really tried to renew customs of the community,” Newell said.

Nicholas was born and raised at Pleasant Point. He attended Shead Memorial High School in the early 1940s but didn’t graduate until 1951 because of his fighting in World War II. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and served aboard the USS Curtis, which was involved in a number of actions including battles at Guam, Saipan and Okinawa. The USS Curtis survived a kamikaze attack.

He held a doctor of humane letters from the University of Maine at Machias, an honorary degree in law from St. Joseph’s College and in 2006 he received an honorary associate degree in liberal studies from Washington County Community College.

Newell said Nicholas had been ill for some time but always retained his acerbic tongue.

“He was great at one-liners and always very entertaining,” he said. “I think many will remember him for his humor.”

erussell@bangordailynews.net

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