Norm lived a life rich in culture. He was a Renaissance Man who read widely in both the arts and sciences, and especially enjoyed opera, ballet, and theater. His friends knew him as a cheerful, witty, and loyal friend who could converse on almost any subject. During his life, he held executive positions in business, government, and academia.
Norm was born on January 17, 1937 in Manhattan to Nils Enger (born in Norway) and Dorothy “Nora” Codd Enger (born in England/Ireland). During World War Two, his father was a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Marine who survived the loss of four ships to German submarines. His mother spent much of the war building Norden bombsights for Air Force bombers. He was always proud of his family’s contribution to the war effort. One of his books, “America Speaks” was inspired in part by this war experience.
Growing up in New York City, he enjoyed the different ethnic cultures and cuisines in the city, as well as the nearby beaches and ocean. His main sports when young were basketball and handball. He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School, which gave him a foundation for his later career in information technology. He was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and graduated from Columbia University with honors. After graduation, he spent time in the Army and then got a job as a systems analyst for an insurance company in New York City. After this job, he worked for two computer companies before founding his own firm, Applied Management Systems, Inc in 1970.
He ran this management consulting and software development firm for thirty years. Concurrently, he was an adjunct professor in information technology at American University in Washington D.C. During these years, he also published five books. Three of them, Computer Security, Management Standards for Developing Information Systems, and Putting MIS to Work were published by the American Management Association. In 2000, he sold his firm to a larger company and spent two years as vice president of that company.
After his private sector career, Norm entered public service as a senior executive at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), leading government wide efforts to modernize federal information systems. For his public service, he received OPM’s highest honor - the Theodore Roosevelt Award – given to those who have made an exceptional contribution to the government and the American people.
He and his wife Marianne, who was born in Sweden, had their home in Potomac, Maryland, and shared a love of global travel. Together they travelled all over the world and experienced many different cultures and cuisines. Together they enjoyed the opera, ballet, theater and other forms of art. He deeply loved his wife, his children, and his granddaughter. He is survived by his wife, his three sons, Erik, Craig, and Kristofer (Janna) and by his granddaughter, Nora.
A celebration of Norm’s life will be held at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 10033 River Road, Potomac, Maryland 20854, on June 8 at 11 a.m. A reception will immediately follow the service at St. Francis.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests you give a donation to the charity of your choice.
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