Wednesday, September 23, 2020
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As a provincially active 4-H member in the 1980s, I was inspired by the affection the entirety of the East Central region felt for their 4-H Specialist, Doug Norman. When I started working for 4-H in the summer of 1990, it was as Doug’s assistant. I was being “groomed” and the government wanted me to learn from the very best. That was Doug: the very best. He taught me many, many lessons that summer and continued doing so for years afterward. He said, “Work hard to remember names and recognize voices; after meeting you once, people will know you and you need to know them.” He taught me the absolute importance of respecting others: from colleagues and co-workers to clients, volunteers and sponsors. He taught me that life is fuller with art as a motivator. He taught me the importance of family, and that you could be passionately committed to your work with your head, heart, health and hands and never at the expense of your home life and family. Finally, and I’m thinking a lot about this lately, he taught me that, other than your love of family and friends, everything ends... always. I felt like he navigated his increasingly difficult last 25 years with grace and spirit, and knew when he needed to say “goodbye”. He has been one of my greatest heroes for over half of my life and what I learned from him helps me every single day, even after all this time.
Thank you, Doug. And thank and bless you, Joan, Warren, Olanna and family, for sharing him with so, so many like me.
