Norm Paterson was a phenomenon. He died in December 2022, a month short of his 97th birthday. The morning I took him to hospital because his heartbeat went wonky, he was talking about doing a final tweaking of the manuscript he was working on — a short book called Climate Change Explained. Norm was an internationally renowned geophysicist who worked into his eighties as a consultant for the United Nations, CIDA, and the World Bank. His job was to discover mineral deposits and supervise their mining in developing countries.
Ten years ago, Norm approached me during coffee hour at our church, saying he was going to write his memoirs. I was Chair of TWUC at the time, and he gleaned I had no time to give more than a few tips on that occasion. When I finished my term, I tentatively asked him how his memoirs were going. As writers, we know how few people actually write the book they say they want to. But Norm had finished his, and it was well-written. When I asked what next, he said, “Now I want to write a novel.”
I was tempted to reply in Margaret Laurence fashion, “When I retire I want to be a geophysicist.” I restrained myself, and we became friends as I encouraged Norm to go on and write two short entertaining mystery novels, Finding Mildred and The Case of Mary Rose. When Sally, his wife of many good years died, instead of sinking into depression, Norm wrote his most important book, Mining Geophysics: A Canadian Story. It tells the history of Canadian geophysicists who became internationally in demand, from the 1970s onward. You wouldn’t know from reading the book that Norman Paterson was the kingpin of it all. He was modest to a fault. The story involves tremendous recall of people, events and anecdotes. Norm was 92 when he wrote that book. He was a man of excessive marbles.
The following year, he moved into my country property with me, having completed his third novel, Amateurs, a romantic mystery set in a retirement residence on Georgian Bay, concluding in the COVID lockdown. I helped in editing this book which I (in my vanity) see as his most fully developed novel. I had three years of peace and happiest harmony with this marvelous man whom everybody liked, including my ex-husband. We hiked the trails on snowshoes in winter, swam daily in summer, entertained our many friends, and often danced in the kitchen when music moved us while making dinner. In such peace and harmony, I was able to pick up my novel which had lain fallow for years, rewrite and submit it, a month before Norm died.
Norman Reed Paterson was also a good artist and singer who knew all the words of HMS Pinafore and led popular singalongs with his ukulele. His final manuscript, Climate Change Explained (for the lay reader), may cause some controversy if published. I’m working on the tweaking he wanted me to do.
