I feel like I’ve been robbed.
I rush through life and am
always focused on what needs to
be done next. Last week, I
stopped and Norman walked by. He
sat with me and I finally asked
him, “Who are you? Who were you
before Weatherhead?” Norman
looked at me quizzically and
said, “What do you mean?” I said
that I realized that I had never
taken time to talk to Norman
casually. In the year I’d known
Norman, I’d asked his opinion,
depended on his support, trusted
him to accomplish BMBASA goals
for Community Service, and
looked forward to his cheery
greeting whenever I passed him
in the hall. Norman always had a
smile and when he didn’t, I
worried.
It seems like I became more
aware of Norman as a man of
promise over the last month. He
was the obvious choice for
BMBASA president because he had
a plan for the organization. I
was humbled when he asked me,
during an officer turnover
meeting, “What are you most
proud of about the 2002-2003
BMBASA activities? What made the
most impact?” I was stunned, but
I had an answer. However, I knew
that it was problematic to get
so caught up that I didn’t
reflect. Later, I told him how
much I appreciated him checking
me like that, and I suggested
that he ask that of himself more
often next year. Norman taught
me that I must take the time to
reflect on what I’m doing in
order to know what I’m doing. I
knew that he had some serious
plans for next year and I had
faith that he would accomplish
them all.
Norman was humble and funny. He
was the only candidate who had a
platform. Even though there were
only enough people in the room
to elect for each office, he
patiently and passionately
declared his platform as if
competitors were in the room.
When, of course, he was
unanimously elected, he was
gracious even though he knew it
was a formality.
During that conversation outside
a sneak preview of Daddy Day
Care on April 30th, Norman told
me how much he learned from
working with his brother and his
sister-in-law. He learned how to
manage people and resources and
how important it was for him to
maintain the boundaries of
responsibility within a
family-run business. Norman
relished that the work helped
him hone skills across several
functional areas.
Norman also told me that I was
predictable, which made me
laugh. He knew that when I came
after him about something, he
needed to go into “calming mode”
since he know I would be hyper
and asking him when something
would be done. He assured me
all the time that he would
handle whatever task he’d been
given – and he always did.
That man took someone precious
from our Black community,
Weatherhead, and the world.
Norman was blossoming. I don’t
know the whole of who he was
before, but I know for sure that
he was becoming an
exceptional man – a leader in
every sense of the word because
he was a teacher and well as a
student of life. Norman was
a treasure, a priceless
treasure. That man could not
steal the memories of Norman or
the impact he had on our lives!
Jenifer Grady |
