2 minute read
Remembering Mrs Joan Norton
Remembering Joan Norton
What a lady Joan was. Cuthbert’s day always saw her bob into the staff room/ kitchen area for a chat to the “ladies”. Indeed she often ended up on the end of a tea towel at the dining room dishwasher, always laughing.
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Hilary Bowler
John and Joan were staunch supporters of us boaties. They both came down when we were competing to cheer us on, come rain or shine, and they were genuinely excited by our wins. Joan also had what seemed like an elephantine memory. She must have shepherded thousands of students through Cuth’s doors and out the other side and yet she not only remembered who you were, but who your friends were, what you (and they) did and what you (and they) had gone off to do after University. Her brain must have been like a huge Cuth’s jigsaw puzzle! She was as much a part of Cuth’s as John was. The new boat which was commissioned when we were there was named John and Joan. The fact that no surname was required for people to make the connection says it all.
Elspeth Talbot Rice
Joan Norton died on 22nd December in Dryburn Hospital. Joan was particularly well known to members of the Society who were here between 1985 and 1990, while her husband John was Principal. Joan’s energetic support of the Society continued long into retirement and she came to know many later arrivals to our community too. We will miss her greatly.
St Cuthbert’s Society made a donation to the charity ‘Calibre Audio’ in memory of Joan. This is a charity that supplies audiobooks to the visually impaired, a service that Joan was grateful for in her later years.
Joan did a lot of painting, and put work in Durham exhibitions before her eyesight got too bad. Her work was exhibited in Trevelyan College and she was involved in an Art group run by Muriel Woodward.
The SCR and Fellows plan to commemorate Joan Norton at The Alumni Association Weekend 2nd to 4th September. John Norton hopes to attend and we would welcome anyone who remembers Joan to come along on the afternoon of Saturday 3rd September. Please email cuthberts.alumnirelations@durham.ac.uk for exact timings.
We have Joan to thank for carpeting the stairs and landings in No 12, to minimise noise. Before that Cuth’s had wonderfully polished brown lino, which complemented the staircase woodwork but echoed every footfall, crash and thump as students navigated the stairs, to the detriment of whoever was in the SCR or first-floor offices. Jo Tudor
We will be taking time to remember Joan Norton during the afternoon and evening of Saturday 3rd September as part of the upcoming Alumni Weekend. Please bring along your stories and any photos you may have.
