[meteorite-list] Richard Norton

From: Zelimir Gabelica <Zelimir.Gabelica_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 28 May 2009 10:51:56 +0200
Message-ID: <200905280851.n4S8pwM2030663_at_smtpmul.univ-mulhouse.fr>

Yesterday evening our internet services announced
that our web connections will be fully
restructured and that we will be cut off from
mail connections for 12 hours (overnight).
Currently I love having night contacts and chats
life, with most of you listee friends there from
"overseas" so I was a little frustrated.
I then rushed to send my last mail yesterday to... Anne Black.
And this morning her mail was the first in a row
to appear...but with that strange title:
"Richard Norton"....

An undefined forewarning immediately crossed my
mind... "Oh my God, NO!...not Richard..not HIM"!

I then read the numerous posts with a lump in my
throat, with a feeling between shock and deep
sadness. What a terrible loss for all of us!

I never had the honor to meet Richard. I know him
through his ever popular and inspiring books,
unanimously now considered as masterpieces by
specialists, but also a permanent source of
knowledge and inspiration also so easily accessible to meteorite amateurs.
Whoever started to collect and love those "rock
falling from the skies" was soon eager to learn
more about these strange "stones".
And so did I, through acquiring the at the time
edited Norton's authoritative "Rocks from Space"
or its not less famous "Cambridge Encyclopedia",
still now unanimously considered as the "best of
the best" popular and scientifically significant
references to permanently consult.
These references brought Richard to be forever
with us through his achievements.

Here I have a suggestion and a statement to make.

Suggestion: should we try to sensitize the
scientific community to name one of the next
discovered asteroids in honor to Richard Norton ?

Statement: last night I just finalized the
English flyer for the next Ensisheim meeting. It
could not be sent because of internet
restructuring. I am therefore right now still in
time to modify the first page by adding that the
2009 edition of the show will be dedicated to
Richard Norton. This will be also officially
announced during the Friday evening ceremonies. I
feel this is the least we can do to honor a great
man, a giant's memory, forever.

On behalf of many of my local friends from
Ensisheim and also from the Belgian club of
meteorite collectors (CTSA), I wish to express my
deepest sympathy and condolences to Dorothy.
May I suggest she always keeps painting the "odd
features of the space life" so fully appreciated throughout Richard's books.

Dorothy, besides the pleasure we all will have to
admire your productions, they will for sure
contribute to maintain your mind close to your
beloved Richard who is certainly now "somewhere
there over", happy among the stars...

Zelimir


Prof. Zelimir Gabelica
Universit? de Haute Alsace
ENSCMu, Lab. GSEC,
3, Rue A. Werner,
F-68093 Mulhouse Cedex, France
Tel: +33 (0)3 89 33 68 94
Fax: +33 (0)3 89 33 68 15
Received on Thu 28 May 2009 04:51:56 AM PDT