Norm died Feb. 25, 2010, in Kissimmee, Fla., from complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

A member of Dial Lodge, Norm majored in chemical engineering. He began his 41-year career as a process-development specialist in the oil industry with Gulf Oil. Much of this work was aimed at producing synthetic hydrocarbons that would provide consistent high-quality lubricants, hydraulic fluids, and engine oils that may not be possible with the ever-changing quality of crude oil sources.

Norm became a catalysis expert and a leader in the development of alpha olefin products that have proven to have functional advantages over naturally produced lubricants. Norm’s contributions were recognized in published technical journal articles and by his co-authoring of two U.S. patents that advanced the processes for producing normal alpha olefins. Norm was the featured engineer in a full-page ad that promoted Chevron’s line of alpha olefin products.

Norm enjoyed deep-sea fishing with his son, David, especially their open-ocean trip from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas — when he was 65 —in David’s 17-foot boat.

To Jane, Norm’s high-school sweetheart and wife of 51 years; his children, Kathryn, David, and Judy Finger; and son-in-law John Finger, the class extends its sympathy.

Undergraduate Class of 1958