[meteorite-list] "Meteorwritings, " Richard Norton, and "The Art of Collecting Meteorites"

[bernd.pauli at paulinet.de]

Geoff kindly writes:

"This month's episode is dedicated to our late friend Richard
 Norton, as he did so very much to popularize our favorite subject:"

http://geology.com/meteorites/meteorite-collecting.shtml

"In addition, I wrote a brief piece about Richard for my science column  
 on TucsonCitizen.com. Anyone who is interested can find it here:"
 
http://tucsoncitizen.com/lizard/2009/06/04/richard-norton-space-rock-writer


Thank you very much for sharing with us! The photo that shows our late friend
Richard Norton accepting the Harvey Award for outstanding contributions to the
field of meteoritics during the 2003 Tucson gem show with a smiling Dorothy in
the background reminds me of a fascinating, little episode of the 2008 Munich
show:

Our younger grandson Elias who is "only" six years young, loves and adores dinosaurs.
The first question he usually asks when he comes to our house is: "Grandpa, can I watch
this or that dinosaur DVD". A few moments later, you can ask him if he wants something
to drink, whether he wants something to eat, ... no answer because he is so enthusiastic
about these critters that he just doesn't hear you :-)

Close to the entrance to the 2008 Munich show, my Pauline and I, we suddenly spotted
a group of (Swiss?) people offering dinosaur replicas -- not cheap because expertly made!

Well, we acquired the only T-Rex tooth replica that was left to the disappointment of a
German list member who would also have liked such a genuine copy of the "real thing!"

Elias' reaction when he saw this T-Rex tooth is beyond description! Not only was it
carefully packed but it also contained detailed info about the former owner of this
tooth: Stan, a majestic "Tyrant Lizard King" roaming the Hell Creek Formation,
Upper Cretaceous, South Dakota, USA, about 65 million years ago.

Let me now come back to your brief piece about Richard on TucsonCitizen.com, where
we can see a smiling Dorothy in the background. When I read the leaflet that came with
Stan's tooth and when I scanned the contents into my computer for later use when Elias is
old enough to really "appreciate" what he has got, I suddenly saw a precise rendering of a
dinosaur's skull on one of these leaflets.

I don't think I have to tell you who the artist of this skull is and 
that's only one reason why Dorothy was the co-recipient of that award!


Best from Germany,

Bernd