Cory Allen Heidelberger
From Summa Bergania
Cory Allen Heidelberger is long time friend of mine who grew up in Madison, SD and graduated from high school in 1989, nine years ahead of me. We met when I was a high school sophomore working on Lincoln-Douglas debate (Fall 1995). Cory was a successful Lincoln-Douglas debater when he was in high school—he qualified for Nationals his senior year—and was in town one evening to assist the team. Our first conversation, in the Madison High School library, was on the evidence for evolution and went quite late. I was preparing an oratory on the subject, and Cory (being an atheist) took notice. While in Madison for those few months he helped me write debate cases and oratories, as well as shared in a number of good, late-night conversations about religion and philosophy.
The next January or February, Cory enrolled in graduate studies in the Russian language up in Alberta, Canada. We wrote a few letters back and forth, until he returned to Madison for the summer. Cory proofread a couple of my school papers and we spent many of pleasant evenings on his deck overlooking Lake Herman (about 5 miles from Madison)... mostly me picking at his atheistic "beliefs" to understand them, going to a book or two (usually CS Lewis) and then coming back with more arguments. Then he left again for grad school in September (1996), and our real correspondance started. Over the summer my family had bought our first computer.
I've always thought that the summer of '96 spent in argument with Cory (and study with CS Lewis) was the beginning of my real faith. Over the long-run my theological debt to those two is only surpassed by what I owe my father.
Cory married a bright and lovely Christian, Erin Weber in May of 2002. He currently works as an English teacher in Montrose, SD while living with his wife at Lake Herman (just outside of Madison). He and Erin gave birth to their first child, daughter Katarzyna Lachlan, on March 3, 2006.
