Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 18, JULY 6, 2009, THE ISLANDER
D
Patty Gibson
News from Local Churches
From The Church Bulletins
In Memorium
Frank Norton
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Heaven got a lot sweeter this week
with the arrival of Elzie Wainright.
Elzie and Edna were one of our first
church friends when we moved to St.
Simons in 1966 and we shared many
special fun times. My life was blessed
and enriched by time spent with them
over the years. I join St. Simons First
Baptist Church in extending sympathy
to Edna, their daughter Betty Mitchell
and their granddaughters. FBC also
extends sympathy to Cora Baker and
family in the death of Marie Baker.
Wesley United Methodist
Church at Frederica extends sym
pathy to the Pauxis family in the death
of Bob Pauxis.
Brunswick First Baptist Church
welcomes recent new members Junior
and Marcia Baker, Jason, Emily and
Cassie Baker, Sarah Brown, Les and
Pam Cole, Aaron Joiner, Tony and
Genie Stillman and Morgan Marble.
Brunswick Christian Renewal
Church extends sympathy to the fam
ily and loved ones of Ester Lee "Bo"
Conley, husband of Miriam Conley
and brother-in-law of Evelyn Allen.
Bill and Evalyn Jones and Chuck and
Terri Jones announce the marriage of
Summer (Jones) and Daniel Villela on
June 22.
Glyndale Baptist Church extends
sympathy to Junior Baker and family
in the death of his mother.
Continuing our patriotic thoughts -
One of my favorite patriotic hymns
is GOD OF OUR FATHERS. This
hymn represents a double celebration
of America's one hundredth birthday.
The words were written in 1876 by
a New England pastor in honor of
the one hundredth anniversary of the
signing of the Declaration of Inde
pendence. The stately time with its
trumpet fanfares was written twelve
years later in celebration of the one
Frank Norton, 65, a highly decorated
Vietnam war veteran who went on to
key roles on the staff of the U.S. Con
gress and in government consulting,
died on June 30 while on vacation with
his family in Highlands, NC. The cause
of death was believed to be a heart
attack.
Mr. Norton was a partner in the firm
of Hurt, Norton & Associates, an 11-
member Washington-based company
that he co-founded in 1997 and helped
develop into a major corporate consult
ing, lobbying, and marketing firm with
more than 45 clients nationwide.
A resident of St. Simons Island, GA,
Mr. Norton was bom in Waycross, GA,
on May 20, 1943, the son of Frank Nor
ton Sr. and Margaret Crawley Norton.
He graduated from Emory at Oxford
College and Emory University in 1966.
He had planned to attend law school,
but was drafted into the Army.
He excelled in his training, was com
missioned through Officer Candidate
School, and served as an Army Ranger
instructor before assignment to Viet
nam as a Ranger reconnaissance pla
toon leader with the 173rd Airborne
Brigade. He holds more than nine mili
tary decorations, including the Purple
Heart and three separate awards of the
Bronze Star for Valor in combat.
Mr. Norton went on to a series of
hundredth anniversary of the adoption
of the United States Constitution. The
message speaks to us today . . . God
of our fathers, whose almighty hand
leads forth in beauty all the starry
band. . . Thy love divine hath led us in
the past, in this free land by Thee our
lot is cast.
Be Thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide
and Stay. Thy word our law, Thy paths
our chosen way.
From war's alarms, from deadly pes
tilence, be Thy strong arm our ever
sure defense. Thy tme religion in our
hearts increase, Thy bounteous good
ness nourish us in peace.
Happy Birthday, America!
Email your Church news to Patty at
pattymgibson@bellsouth.net or by mail
to 406 Whitfield Avenue, St. Simons
Island, GA 31522. □
Army Infantry assignments alternat
ing with tom’s in the Army’s congres
sional liaison offices in the U.S. House
of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
A Master Parachutist, his assignments
were generally in Airborne and Ranger
emits and with assignments at Fort
Benning and Fort Stewart, Georgia,
and Fort Ord, California. In addition
to Vietnam, he served overseas in the
Federal Republic of Germany and the
Republic of Korea. While in the Army,
he also earned a Masters degree in
Business from Central Michigan Uni
versity and a Masters degree in Con
gressional Studies from The Catholic
University. He was a graduate of the
National War College.
At the time of his retirement from
the Army as a Colonel after 26 years
of service, he was Principal Deputy
to the Secretary of the Army for U.S.
Senate Liaison. He was the only Army
officer to serve in that position for
both the Senate and the U.S. House of
Representatives, a post that required
him to be the Secretary of the Army’s
direct representative to the Congress.
He travelled throughout the world with
Senators and Representatives on Army
issues.
After his retirement from the Army
in 1993, he was appointed by U.S. Sen.
Sam Nunn of Georgia, then Chair
man of the Senate Armed Services
Committee, to serve as a Professional
Staff Member on the committee. He
also served as the Senator’s liaison to
Georgia military bases and communi
ties during the Base Realignment and
Closure (BRAC) process.
In 1997, after Mr. Nunn’s retire
ment from the Senate, Mr. Norton
co-founded Hurt, Norton & Associ
ates with his long-time friend Robert
Hurt. He helped preside over the firm’s
steady growth into a broad-based con
sulting company with extensive work
in national defense, homeland securi
ty, transportation, technology develop
ment, higher education, and corporate
services to government agencies. In
recent years he had moved from Wash
ington to St. Simons Island.
He continued his consulting work,
but increasingly devoted time to his
family farm in Waycross, to real estate
development in Glynn Comity, Georgia,
and to charitable and other community
service in Waycross, Brunswick, and
St. Simons. He and his family are
members of the St. Simons United
Methodist Church.
He is survived by his beloved wife,
Carol Keatley Norton, and his son, Lee
Crawley Norton of St. Simons Island;
and cousins Jane and Jerome Crawley
of Waycross, GA, and A1 Trogdon of
Dover Bluff, GA.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can
be made to the St. Simons United
Methodist Church or Oxford College of
Emory University.
Funeral arrangements will be han
dled by Edo Miller & Sons Funeral
Home. □
Hospice support group
The open monthly bereavement
support group will meet Tuesday, July
7, 5:30 p.m. - 6:45 p.m. at Hospice of the
Golden Isles, 1692 Glynco Parkway,
Brunswick. This month's topic is Guilt
and Freedom.
The Camden group meets Tuesday,
July 14, 10 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. at 2000
Dan Praetor Drive., St. Marys, which is
the old Camden Medical Pavilion. □
Coastal GA Genealogical
Society to meet
The Coastal Georgia Genealogical
Society will meet Sunday, July 12 at
2 p.m. in the meeting room at the St.
Simons Island Fire Station #2, McKin
non Airport.
The program will include small
group sharing, DNA, and internet.
For more information, call 912-265-
5916. □
Celebrate Your
Special Moment in Print!
Birthdays, Anniversaries or Just to Let
Them Know You're Thinking of Them!
Call the Islander office at
912-265-9654 for rates!
Volunteer Child Advocates Needed!
CASA Glynn is accepting
applications for their fall
training class.
Volunteers will be trained
to become Child Advocates
for children in foster care.
Call 264-4448 to apply. & £>
Deadline for applications - Friday, July 31
CASA Training starts - Tuesday, August 11
A www.casaglynn.org
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