Correspondence, 1968-2006, undated

Norris had a vibrant professional and personal life, as evidenced by the correspondence he maintained with friends, colleagues, and former students. Some of the material in this subgroup is typed, but the majority consists of handwritten notes, greeting cards, and postcards. The correspondence has been arranged into three series, according to the nature of the correspondents’ relationships to Norris: Series 1. Personal Correspondence; Series 2. Professional Correspondence; Series 3. Student/Alumni Correspondence. In general, the correspondence subgroup is limited.

The student and alumni correspondence in Series 3 speaks to Norris’s popularity as a professor. Many of the notes, cards, and letters are to thank him for providing references. Several of the letters requested advice on careers and further study, and still others were simply to keep in touch. Oberlin College offered a message-delivery service for alumni who were living out of town and wanted to contact their favorite professors, called Obie Grams. Professor Norris received many of these messages, included in this series.