COVER STORY
Above: Norful poses for his graduation photo during his senior year at UAPB. At top right: Norful (front row, second from the left) is pictured with members of his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi.
“They were almost [like] uncles and aunts to us in addition to being our professors. They took a very personal interest in our lives and the roles they played allowed us to endear ourselves to one another. They would in turn coach us, rebuke us, love us, help us and it was more than just ‘You’re coming to class, I’m getting a check...It was very personal, very relational.” “I liked my house – I liked my room, I liked my parents,” he said, laughing. “I told them, jokingly that they would have to call the police [to get rid of me], I’m not ever going anywhere.” In fact, the younger Norful lived with his parents even after he had full-time employment as a teacher. “I was driving a Mercedes, I had Blue Cross and Blue Shield, I had it going on!” he quipped. A CHANGE OF COURSE Norful originally majored in Political Science at UAPB because he wanted something different from music. One of his Professors, David Vaughan eventually convinced Norful to change his major to History. “[David Vaughan] would beat me up every day about changing my major to history. I was like, man, I don’t want to do history, are you crazy? I don’t even like history like that, I just like you, that’s why I got in your class,” he said, laughing.
According to Norful’s plan, history would be an easy way to help him reach his goal of becoming a lawyer. While in the program, he and fellow history colleague turned best friend, Brandon Dorsey, took all of their classes together, pledged the same fraternity, and interviewed and toured the same law schools around the country. Dorsey, who also served as Student Government Association President during their graduation year, later became an attorney and eventually one of the lawyers that represent Norful today. Professor Vaughan was like a big brother and friend to Norful, and Vaughn happened to also be a member of his father’s church. Now a history major, he fell in love with the program and was exposed to the incredible teaching given to him by Vaughan, Dr. Buford Satcher and Dr. Dana Mazique. “In my mind, this couldn’t get any better, this was awesome,” Norful said.
PIANO PRODIGY He remembers the first song he sang, We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder. He and his family were living in Oklahoma at the time in a house that had a screened in back porch with an old upright piano that had real ivory keys and a mirror on the top. It was on its way out, but Norful had an interest in playing. His love for music was cultivated by his mother Teresa who used to go to the public library to check out records for him to listen to. The signature song to the Disney movie Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang was one of his favorites. Determined, he decided to mess around with it and try to learn it by ear. He went to the back porch and started playing. He was doing so well that his mother thought someone was on the porch with him. She busted through the door wondering what was going on. She looked and it was him – he’d taught himself to play piano. He worked at it and continued to improve. Two to three years later, he was enrolled in piano class.
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UAPB MAGAZINE • University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff