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So I want to thank you Ken for all of the work that you've done here and we will continue your legacy. Thank you. Now, I've got a couple quick things. First of all, thank you all for coming. We'll have some refreshments at the high school activity center if you need to ride there because it's a bit of a walk. You have to go around the construction zone. Please ask the folks outside for a ride. We have a couple of people. Oh, what? Oh, we're not done yet. My apologies. Sorry. Forget it. Whenever Ken, whatever community Ken came in contact with, he became return to gold. The result of all his growing family with Audrey was the primary concern of his life. Ken and Audrey still love Kurt, Nikki, and their growing families. It was just amazing to see and couldn't speak highly enough of their kids now their own.
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[Music] They love their parents as well as who who stayed with them in spirit. What did you just do? What always sticks with me is Ken and Audrey's love to their family. And you know, come to think of it, Ken now is finally with Audrey again. They can once again share their love, their passion. and look out for their children just in a different way. You'll always have their love. And what a great friendship Margie and I had with the two of them. It was just amazing and such a blessing to us. Of course, I had a wonderful 63-y year marriage to my wife, but along with that, we had three amazing [Music] children. Our oldest was born in Texas. That was Nikki. And the two boys were were born in Sul Oklahoma. There were three amazing kids. Sad to say, our youngest, D only to be 32 years old.
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We lost him to cancer. Nikki and Kurt have been the absolute best kids I could ever have hoped for. Love them to death. And even now as I'm getting old and nearly helpless, they're always there to help me out. Always coming over, always looking after me. And I appreciate that so much. I'm forever grateful to Nikki and Kurt. They're just great kids, the best in the world. As I mentioned, we are going to have refreshments. I think there may be a couple of people who'd like to uh share a few quick words. Am I right? [Music] Oh, what can we start with? How you good to see you again. Hi everyone. I'm Steve Blondo. I went to the school in Berkeley, class of 71. I think a few members of my class are here today. Aren't they? Anybody here from 71? There were only 10 of us.
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Ken was one of my first teachers there. He helped me through a time in junior NAT and became really good friends along with Frank Church who some of you know that long ago they were very close. They're the ones who started the junior CS to them fostering leadership and youth was key and we're so grateful all the leadership opportunities that Ken and Frank foster for us. He believed strongly in the school and having kids come here early so that they would have that chance to thrive throughout the entire school career. Three qualities that I'd like to share of his was he was very protective of children. He was a great teacher and also a great friend. I'm not going to go through all the stories I have because I don't want to put you into sleep. back in 1973 during the process of the school talking about moving to Fremont.
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He was a staunch advocate of staying in Berkeley. Barry Griffin who some of you may know who was the head of the California school department of education at that time. He called him in for a meeting to ask why he was so angry. Actually, I didn't say that Barry was angry at Ken and and that superintendent's father is a good friend of Ken. And now Ken is speaking out against the CDE's plans to move. And so he asked him, "Why do you think you should stay in Berkeley? Do you know all what's going on?" And Ken hadn't known. He hadn't known that the school had been built on the fault line and that that was the impetus behind the discussions to move the campus. You know, the state wasn't in a position to fix anything. If an earthquake happened, the school would have to be closed completely and then there wouldn't be a school.
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When Ken learned that those were the options, then and that maybe Northern California kids would have to go to Riverside. He said, "Okay, we do need to find some other place for the school." That was around 1973. That was a very important year. And Ken was involved in all the discussions what site might work someplace near Berkeley. No place right nearby was going to work. But there was land here in Fremont and the state decided that would be a good site. I think it was 70 778 or other. There was a town hall meeting held at the previous school in Berkeley. Neighbors of that campus came by as well to discuss moving or not moving. And all the pros and cons were aired. But there really decision had already been made. There's absolutely no way the state could afford to maintain that kind of a school on that kind of a fall line.
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And that for the future of education of our deaf children and to maintain this school's continued existence, the school had to move. And that was an example of how we protected deaf children. We knew that he worked at the school for the death of Oklahoma. Dr. Hall was that superintendent at the time and they just could not get along in those days. Ken was work teaching in that morning and going off to work the farm in the afternoon and the superintendent said that wasn't sustainable but they couldn't find a middle ground. Kento decided to rethink things to change his own attitude and work for an optimistic position. And he became more cooperative with the [Music] superintendent and said, "I'm here to support you. How can I support you?" Exactly what he said to Amy, although many, many years before that. He came with a with an attitude of support for the superintendent and and together they negotiated a different structure for Ken's employment and that resulted in a lasting friendship.
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And then he came here and worked with that that superintendent and because that the current superintendent here at that time had spoken with Dr. Hen knew about Ken and wanted Ken to be here. Some of you may have seen the letter that he sent you and he said Dr. Paul wrote a letter to me Berkeley superintendent said dear Dr. robber at his feet because he coached Ken of Oklahoma. By that time, Ken had become Hall's favorite teacher. His wife was really fond of him as well. But Ken's heart was in Berkeley and that often came the stale stick in favor of Berkeley. So Ken and his family moved here. If it hadn't been for Ken's relationship with Paul and the way that he learned to be adaptive in his attitude, then his history here at the School for the Deaf wouldn't have been as illustrious as it has been.
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He has just that emotional intelligence to always know what to do and how to work with people. He reached out to me at one point back in the 80s and that was when computers are like these huge IBM things that you took the whole desktop. He called me asking for some help. Leo Jacobs told him that I might be the guy to ask for that kind of help. I went to his home and I chatted with him and Audrey, my first time meeting them and I wanted to take him out for dinner and they didn't know if you're helping us so we're going to treat you. And so I started going their home a number of times and they always put out a good deed. He wrote that book when eagles times that was published. He wanted to get a good picture taken of his Harley.
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You could take it camping in Yoseite with his friends. There's a picture up there of Jacob's and his father there. The three of them, the three of them were on that [Music] harve and then we have to come back during the day and work at the cafeteria even in the rain. Three of them will get back on that Harley and ride back out there again. We do that every day. And I think it was in 2017 when it was around 90. We got a number of folks [Music] here at 90. He wanted to get back on a motorcycle. He got on with me. We we we got him up on it. It was a little bit tough to get him on, but I I drove him to the restaurant. I wonder what everybody thought of us. Why Why are you taking that old man on your motorcycle?
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I had a lot of great experiences with him. I did a video interview with him. Total of three hours of footage, but I'm not quite done editing yet. When I finish that, I'll give it to Nikki and Kurt and their approval. I'll share with the school as part of is part of the history of the school. We have so many stories that we have to pass. [Music] I'm nervous, so I'll talk [Music] briefly. That's my son. That's better. Thank you. My son Troy, he's hearing Berkeley when I was in seventh grade. Or let me back up. So I was born in Africa but mainstream and then went into the desk in Berkeley for the first time. Met Ken and what he did was when I came in it was pigeon sign English. So he was like trying to I was trying to talk and he was like no you got to sign and I'm like I'm nervous and trying to communicate but that night we had dinner in the cafeteria and kind of looked around.
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I was like this is not what I eat. I grab food. So Ken said no no eat. Come on. He sat down next to me offer. It was a hamburger and fries, I think. He said, "You got to eat." And I said, "Okay." I took a bite. And I'm like, "Okay, all right." And he'd bring me food from from home that he cooked, his wife cook to make sure that I would actually love Berkeley. And that's actually how I wrote to start like to be there. And then when I was in ninth grade before CSD here opened in Fremont, yeah, that was 80. So, um, there was a family situation. So I was in Oregon death school and Ken reached out to Jane which is a teacher who just recently passed away and she came up to me and said you and I was like oh and he goes why are you here in this school and I was like I told him this is a situation with my family and he's like no come back.
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I said I don't know my family in Ethiopia and my parents and aunts and uncles are in DC and he said no no no no come on. So he got on the phone with Jane and was telling her that she needed to come here. It was my uncle in Washington DC. Uh they were talking about how they wanted me to move here and flew. And then Dane sent me back um and stay with that family. But yeah, when kids came in, he said, "Never leave again. Don't you ever leave again. You are staying right here until you graduate, you go off to college, you get a job, whatever you want to do, and then you come back and work in student life." But that's one year as him. He's like my dad. Everything. He'd make sure I eat, um, make sure I was dressed good.
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He'd make sure of anything. He wouldn't ask me of anything. He'd just see me and then knew if I needed anything, he'd put something in my in a bag in my dorm room or cottage room and I'd walk like, "I don't know who this what's this from." I remember I got new shoes. He gave me a new sweater that was CSV on it. Some other stuff. I didn't know it was him, but then finally later on he said, "Hey, that was me." But to me, he was like a dad. He was the best role model I had in my life with my parents being in Ethiopia. I'm going to miss you very much. I love you, Kurt. I love you, Nikki. Your families. Love you [Music] all. Pal is up for 10. I'm Daniel Gerard. I'm the student engagement and and leadership development coordinator. The department used to be known as pardon.
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I it was formerly the high school adjustment teacher. Anyway, I I feel like I've come full circle and now we've got some stories to share. I'm Sihong. I am the director of instruction here at CSD. I had been a principal of the high school and so I worked with Daniel and that was when I first met Ken at Frank at that time. He believed strongly in student engagement and leadership development. He done he did so many activities for the students to give them leadership development opportunities. I mean we we've seen how much he and Frank did for the school. You remember that acronym W I N wanted important and needed. When students feel those three things they feel part of the school. I learned so much from Ken and from his undying passion for the school that you've heard about from others and we both felt that CSD needed to do something.
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So we created an award in his honor, the Kenneth W. Norton Outstanding Leadership Award that was started in what 2019 when we invited him to come see the inaugural presentation of that award. Remember the name of the student? No, but I'll find it. Here's a picture of that Ortiz. This is the only photo that I found with the two of them her along with [Music] Ken. You know, Ken's focus was always student first and that's why we wanted to have this special award along with the scholarship to get the Frank Tur scholarship. So, it's nice to have that dual way of acknowledging students and memory issues. Right now, Ken's legacy continues here at CSD and it will forever. Thank you. And this will be our last speaker. This is Jim Davis. His picture is on the back of the program book as well. He's there with Peterson.
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He was a very fast runner. He's an amazing athlete. Take it away. Hello, I'm James Davis, senior. I'm from Oakland. Grew up there. When I attended school in Berkeley, it was 1965. The English teacher and the coach football track 1963 championship [Music] team on the running back. I was really really good. Nobody could catch me. We had be at a fourth down but then be back up at a first down and and be able to just break through and we were six and0 and then in 63 we had a tied game but won two straight championships. He was a good coach. He was strict coach but Ken was a good one. Basketball much let track want three straight championships in the 100 yard, the 220 yard and the relay. One championship can always be first. Always be first. Three straight championships. Then in ' 65 at Galedet University it was the Olympics in ' 65 the death Olympics we had Germany France we had Italy everybody was here and I went in practicing we training I was [Music] first I made Sometime I made it second, someone else made it first.
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But then we ran the 200 meter. I made place first. That was in the world championship. It was the final run and we beat them. It was an upset. Won the championship right at the cake. had three gold medals. Thanks to Ken. He was a great coach. Provided a lot of practice and training. But thank him. Love him. Love you. Thank you. [Music] Hey, hello to Ken Norton's friends and family. I went into Berkeley in 1977 and I think Ken needs some laughter right now. Okay, now we're going on through all the history and everything he's known for, but we need to increase the laughter. So that time at the school as a student and Ken, we would hang out. We would go to basketball, football, have these games versus Riverside and our school and you know the history behind that. But I saw Ken walking by with white socks.
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I'm looking at him like, "What? But he looked good. He was all dressed nicely with white socks. But I didn't bother to to go up to him. I don't know. Okay. I mean, yeah. I mean, he's already a legacy leader. But, uh, went into Berkeley and then 77. And then he came by and said, "Hey, Ken, why why the white socks?" He said, "Oh, the white socks. You guide them with colors. The odor, they stinking." I said, Oh, okay. I respect that. Like, white socks. You know, I like to look good at myself. I like to dress up. But again, I'd, you know, tease them here and there, see them every time. He'd sit there with his white socks and I'd look at him. I was like, "Come on, try to like make him a little lower, like make him look cooler." He's like, "Okay, whatever, whatever." You know, we kind of go back and forth.
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And then, uh, the time is nearing for his time to go. I videoed with with Ken quite often, maybe like three or four times, but either the third or fourth time Kim, you know, we were talking and he noticed that there was something on my shoulder and I said, you know, you're ready to go. But we talk about socks. You see this? I'll always remember you wearing these. And he pulled them up. He pulled up his leg filled with white socks. I was like laugh and laugh and then he laughed and laughed but it's a wonderful memory lucky that it again. Thank you all so much for being here. Please join us for some refreshments to find your way to the high school activity center. And Joey, you got something? Joey here? Yeah. But the high school activity center, if you can't go the way you might norally want to go, you have to go out of theater and circle around to the right.
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