Monday, September 11, 2006

Monday Memories



Did I ever tell you About Robert Grant Norton of Flight 11?



As part of the 9/11 tribute started by D. Challener Roe, I have been assigned Robert Grant Norton of Flight 11. I requested an individual from the DC Area, but was given Mr. Norton. When I started researching - what little I could find about him - I understood why I had him...

Mr. Norton was on Flight 11 with his wife. They were traveling to California for her son's wedding.

Mr. Norton was originally from Lubec Maine. He graduated from high school there, worked in a local factory making sardine cans and later served in World War II as a Seabee. After the war, he went to college on the GI Bill. He graduated from Franklin Tech in Boston with an engineering degree. He worked in Massachusetts for several years and lived in my hometown. He returned to Lubec to retire in the early 1980's.

Mr. Norton was a deacon at the Congregational Church in Lubec. He was funloving and tried to inspire more humor in the sermons of Rev. Edwin Randall by giving him a book of quotes and malaprops by legendary New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra.

Mr. Norton was a very kind and thoughtful man. He is remembered as a soft spoken individual, a generous man both with time and talent, and a good neighbor. He was retired and was a young eighty-something at the time of his death. (His date of birth is unknown.) Mr. Norton looks very familiar to me. I think he may have been a member of my childhood church.

LadyBug
PS - My bibliography includes This Info and That Info and This site .

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14 comments:

Meg said...

Wow. How neat that you were assigned to this man who is from your hometown. What a great tribute, even with so little information!

Meira{FB} said...

Great Tribute! Good job!


mines up also.

Raggedy said...

Great tribute!
I could not find very much info on mine but I will post him tomorrow.
Hugs

Renee Nefe said...

I need to add a Mr Linky to my tribute too.

You did a great job.

Susan said...

That is a very neat tribute!! IT sounds like this man has touched many in his life...and now his life is touching you, too! Amazing!

Have a great week and thank you for reminding us.

FRIDAY'S CHILD said...

This is a Monday Memory that we will never forget.
Visiting sites with tribute makes my heart bleed for all the victims and brings tears to my eyes as I see all these young people losing their lives to something beyond their control. These cruel people who caused the tragedy just didn't care about these innocent lives, lives with yet unfulfilled dreams, lives who may have been depended upon by their loved ones.
My sympathy goes to all the victims' family of these Sept. 11/2001 tragedy. My heart will always have a special place for all of you.
I will always remember them.

Jennifer said...

not a monday memory participant but a 2,996 participant! lovely done!

K said...

That's so neat that you were assigned to him. I like to think that he was a member of your childhood church. He seems like a very nice person.

Ramblins of a middle-aged goddess said...

How great that you were given a man that was from your home town!! How cool is that. What a nice post!! It lets us all know something about these special people who lost their lives that day 5 years ago!! Thanks for writing this today.

YellowRose said...

Wonderful tribute and MM! It is neat how you got someone from your area! Things happen for a reason! Good job!

My MM is up.

craziequeen said...

Everyone is fnding something in common with their tributes.

Mine was the same age as me now when he died. Not much of a link, but enough to bridge the gap.

Good one, Missee Bug!

cq

Joan said...

God bless the family of Mr. Norton. Participating in the 2996 Project has been so meaningful.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe you got assigned to someone from Lubec, ME....that is the town my parents and extended family are from, such a small world!!

Both of my grandmother's knew Mr. Norton and his wife. A very sweet, lovely couple. Both my grandmother and grandfather worked in a sardine factory, packing fish, running machinery and may have worked with him,I'm not sure. Both grandparents are gone now.

Thanks for your tribute, it made my day, Lubec is a special place in my heart as it was for sure to the Norton's...may they rest in peace.
SD from MA

Katherine said...

That was a wonderful tribute - he looks like such a kind man.