James Norman

When Jim was four, the family moved to Westchester County, New York. Because the family spent much of their time there helping establish a Southern Baptist Church, Jim loved standing on a huge boulder in their large wooded backyard mimicking the pastor of the small start-up congregation. Jim loved playing in the woods and making weekend trips up the Hudson River.

The family next moved to Dallas and joined Park Cities Baptist Church. At the age of nine Jim accepted Christ as his savior and was baptized by Herbert Howard. In Dallas Jim and his sister, Mary, missed playing in the woods and in the brook they had in their New York backyard, but Indian Guides camping with his dad soon became a favorite activity for Jim during grade school years.

Jim attended both public schools and St. Marks in Dallas, then the University of Texas. He later graduated cum laude from Northwestern University with a major in Political Science and a minor in Journalism. While doing graduate work at the University of Toronto, Jim’s mentor, who had been involved in the Czechoslovakian Velvet Revolution, instilled in Jim a lifelong passion for the affairs and government of what eventually became the Czech Republic. Jim did graduate work at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, and later with great joy, was able to return to work in the office of the President Havel in the castle in Prague. His responsibility was to handle English correspondence. In Jim’s words, the correspondence ranged “from school children wanting to know what it’s like to be president, to requests for the President to become a member of the Rolling Stone’s Club, to official communiqués from heads of state.” Many of Jim’s official communiqués were signed, unedited, by the president. Also, during this time in Prague, two articles written by Jim concerning Czech political issues were published in national Czech magazines.

After President Havel left office Jim returned to live in Chicago. Shortly after his return he suffered a traumatic brain injury. Emergency brain surgery was performed to save his life. Months of physical and cognitive rehabilitation were spent in both Chicago and Dallas. During this difficult time, he was thankful for the love and support of his cousin Dr. Kimberly Fisher.

Jim’s adult life was quite different from the life of the average person. His passion through the years continued to be reading, research and writing regarding international affairs of Eastern Europe. Because of this passion and in spite of his failing health Jim moved to Washington DC with the hope of once again working in his field of education. He was pleased to be able to work for a short time for the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress on a research project involving Eastern Europe.

Because of failing health, Jim had recently moved to Colorado Springs to live with his family. He passed away in Pikes Peak Hospice on October 17. The family is grateful for all those who cared for Jim. He is survived by his parents, Chuck and Judy, and sister Mary, all of Colorado Springs, an uncle, two aunts and six cousins.

Memorials may be sent to Compassion International PO Box 65000, Colorado Springs, CO 80962-5000, or

St. Judes Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105