Norman Elmer Severt
May 30, 1909 – October 27, 2008
Some of you knew him as Norman or Norm, Dad or Big Papa but I knew him
as Grandpa.
It may sound silly to most but Grandpa never seemed to age to me.
I saw, perhaps, a more distinguished wrinkle here and there to indicate
age but he was always a kid at heart, quick witted, and sharp with his
comments. Even at his 99th birthday celebration this year, as he
sat quietly rocking in the recliner, he quickly snapped out his hand to
stop one of the younger kids as they attempted to run past.
Perhaps it’s because I was not exposed to Grandpa’s behavior with
Dementia on a daily basis that I didn’t see him any different.
Sure, on one visit, he thought I was living in Wausau, WI and over a 30
minute period had asked me 5 different times how I liked it. But
then there were the other times when he knew I lived in the Twin Cities
and we’d talk about my work and how Dustin was doing in school.
To some people Grandpa may have deteriorated with Dementia but to me it
was the best thing. I think he remembered some of the best times
in his life and would share those times in conversation. Perhaps
not in conversations we are accustomed to considering he would repeat a
question or statement. But, all the same, Grandpa was recalling
past events and places he had been to and struggled to define them in
the time he was currently living. The Friday after Grandpa’s
passing, Dustin and I got Chinese take-out and my fortune read “Remember
yesterday, but live for today”. I’d like to think that’s how
Grandpa was with his Dementia.
No, I never did see the violent side of Grandpa. And I’m glad.
I could never imagine him raising his hand to any one. Although
I’m sure he did if his sons were anything like my brothers growing up.
Grandpa seemed to be a patient man with a laid back personality except
when it came time for eating. When Grandpa was hungry he wanted
his food now. Much like my brother Chris is today! So be
fitting he should bare Grandpa’s name as his middle.
I recall some of my best memories of Grandpa. One of which he and
Grandma Irene were making applesauce as I stood along the kitchen
cabinets. I watched them work together fluently, peeling and
coring the apples before blending them. All the while, already
filled jars were boiling above the stove to be sealed.
I saw Grandpa as an affectionate man. It seemed to me any time he
walked past Grandma Irene, whether she was cooking at the stove, over
the sink doing dishes, or sitting in her chair doing a crossword puzzle,
he took the time to show his affection. Whether that affection
entailed a “hey Toots!” or a pat on her bottom, Grandpa found some way
to get Grandma’s attention. Although I was not witness to it, I
can guarantee he was the same way with Grandma Verona because at family
get-togethers he would be sure to sit by her and hold her hand.
Another memory is Grandpa’s teeth. I remember loving how he could
snap out his top dentures, suck ‘em back in and then snap out his bottom
ones, suck them back in and then snap both out at the same time.
We kids would repeatedly ask him to do it again until mom or dad would
say that was enough. I still get giggles thinking about it!
Amazing that I was never creeped out about it and that neither set ever
fell out on to the floor!
Grandpa had the biggest hands I’ve ever seen. His fingers and
palms were nearly double the width and length of mine. I remember
comparing on many family occasions by laying my hand inside his palm.
The tips of my fingers barely reached past his knuckles. Although I
never saw him palm a basketball I imagine it would compare to me palming
a tennis ball. Perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit but all the same
there is no denying Grandpa had very large hands.
There are many more memories but I’ll conclude with the following.
His train set and how he would run the trains for hours for what seemed
to be for our enjoyment but that was most likely his. And his slingshot
and how he could kill a wild cat with one shot.
There are many things about Grandpa I don’t know. His favorite
color, his favorite book, or what his favorite place was to visit.
And that’s OK! I didn’t have to know nor do I need to know because
the things I did know of my Grandpa, I loved and will cherish.
How wonderful to have lived 99 years! The things that have taken
place through out that time. The advancements in technology and
the medical break through treatments for diseases.
My interest and amazement with technology coincided with the age gap
between me and Grandpa. I have often wondered and spoken out loud
how it must have been for him to be witness to a new technology and
discovery. Perhaps it wasn’t as big of an impact on Grandpa as I
think. Since, for me, I accept advancements during my lifetime
thus far as, yes, amazing, but also as part of life. It’s almost
taken for granted that there will always be new discoveries and
inventions as we absorb more knowledge each generation. Still, to
look back over the past 99 years and reflect on the events you can’t
help but think they’re remarkable.
In Grandpa’s lifetime there were 17 U.S. Presidents and 6 major wars.
And, yes, I consider the Cold War a major war. He lived through
the hardship of the Great Depression and saw the establishment of NASA
(The National Aeronautics and Space Administration) in 1958, and the
monumental development of space travel and the first man on the moon
(Neil Armstrong) on July 20, 1969.
Grandpa loved trains; model and full scale alike. He witnessed the
height of the railway ridership through the 40’s and the decline during
the 50’s and 60’s due to the availability and affordability of
automobiles and airplane travel. He also watched a multitude of
railroad mergers in an attempt to prevent being shut down during the
decline. Then the excitement and promotion of luxury passenger
travel in 1971 when President Nixon and the U.S. Congress created
Amtrak. Closer to home, I can’t imagine Grandpa’s thoughts, when
on January 1, 1986, the news of the largest railroad bankruptcy
proceedings to date in the U.S. occurred when Milwaukee Road merged into
the Soo Line (now part of the Canadian Pacific Railway system).
Although cars (steam and gas powered alike) had been in development for
many years prior to Grandpa’s birth, it was during his lifetime that a
multitude of technological advancements were made to the greatly
accessible variety we have today. From the Model-T (2-3 speed
transmission and hand crank start) to the Cadillac Escalade (automatic
everything).
One of my favorite developments… computers! The first programmable
computer was created by Konrad Zuse of Germany in 1936. The first
digital computer started being developed by Professor John Vincent
Atanasoff in 1937 at Iowa State University but it was John Mauchly at
the University of Pennsylvania who completed the first working digital
computer in 1946. The first computer to run a graphical computer
game was the British EDSAC in 1949. Alright, I’ll stop boring you
and tell you that Ed Roberts not only coined the term “personal
computer”, he introduced it in 1975 as the Altair 8800. To think,
all of this amazing technology and I don’t belive Grandpa ever touched a
computer.
Oh and you can’t forget the internet! No, there wasn’t just one
guy (Bill Gates) who invented the internet either. Sorry to burst
your bubble! But the idea of the internet was first recorded by
Leonard Kleinrock (computer scientist and professor at UCLA) in his
paper “Information Flow in Large Communication Nets” in 1961. From
his idea, there were a multitude of other contributors who got together,
developed the equipment and performed the first binary transfer of data
in 1968. It was publicly introduced in 1969 with the first email
in 1972.
Oh, but I digress. So, to get on track I’ll remind you why I wrote
this. There are a multitude of exceptional inventions,
advancements in technology, and human accomplishments that took place
over the past 99 years. How great that Grandpa was a part of them!
I only hope to see just as many great things in my lifetime.
What was happening in the world in 1909?
January 28
United States troops leave Cuba after being there since
the Spanish-American War
February 12
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP) is founded
March 18
Einar Dessau uses a short-wave radio transmitter,
becoming the first radio broadcaster.
May 30
My grandpa, Norman Elmer Severt, was born in Auburndale, WI!
So was The “King of Swing” Benny Goodman (d. June 13, 1986) in Chicago,
IL
October 13
An agreement by Germany, Italy and Switzerland gives
the Germans and Italians access to the St. Gotthard Railway tunnel.
November 11
The U.S. Navy founds a navy base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
December 31
The Manhattan Bridge opens.
The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Guglielmo Marconi and Karl
Ferdinand Braun for the development of wireless telegraphy (radio).
The 17 U.S. Presidents during Grandpa’s lifetime:
1. 1909 William Howard Taft – 27th president
2. 1913 Woodrow Wilson – 28th president
1917 Woodrow Wilson – 2nd inauguration
3. 1921 Warren G. Harding – 29th president
4. 1923 Calvin Coolidge – 30th president
(Harding dies suddenly/succeeded by vice president)
1925 Calvin Coolidge – 2nd inauguration
5. 1929 Herbert Hoover – 31st president
6. 1933 Franklin Roosevelt – 32nd president
1937 Franklin Roosevelt – 2nd inauguration
1941 Franklin Roosevelt – 3rd inauguration
1945 Franklin Roosevelt – 4th inauguration
7. 1945 Harry Truman – 33rd president
(Roosevelt dies of a stroke/succeeded by vice president)
1949 Harry Truman – 2nd inauguration
(February 27, 1951 the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution is
ratified, limiting the president to two terms)
8. 1953 Dwight Eisenhower – 34th president
1957 Dwight Eisenhower – 2nd inauguration
9. 1961 John F. Kennedy – 35th president
10. 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson – 36th president
(Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, TX, Nov. 22/ succeeded by vice
president)
1965 Lyndon B. Johnson – 2nd inauguration
11. 1969 Richard Nixon – 37th president
1973 Richard Nixon – 2nd inauguration
(Watergate – Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigns, Nixon
nominates Gerald R. Ford as vice president)
12. 1974 Gerald R Ford – 38th president (Nixon resigns)
13. 1977 James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr.– 39th president
14. 1981 Ronald Reagan – 40th president
1985 Ronald Reagan – 2nd inauguration
15. 1989 George H. W. Bush – 41st president
16. 1993 William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton– 42nd president
1997 William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton– 2nd
inauguration
17. 2001 George W. Bush – 43rd president
The 6 major wars in Grandpa’s lifetime:
WWI (1914-1918)
WWII (1939-1945)
Korean War (1950-1953)
Vietnam War (1950-1975)
Cold War (1947-1991)
Persian Gulf War (1990-1991)
