[meteorite-list] Richard Norton

[Zelimir Gabelica]

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
Université 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