I usually try to keep my posts strictly about my artwork but this past weekend a legendary teacher at my school, Norm Schureman, passed away.
Norm was an amazing teacher. Truly, one of a kind. He managed to treat you as a respected colleague and in doing so made you want to do your best. Norm believed in you and trusted you. He sincerely wanted nothing more than for you to succeed and he'd do anything to help you 'take it to the next level,' as he'd often say. More than that, a couple times, he'd bring his kids to class. You could tell he was an amazing father who never sacrificed his family for all his artistic success. It was comforting to see you could have both.
The news was quite shocking since his death wasn't an accident and wasn't foreseen. He was merely at a party, got into an argument, and the suspect went home, got a gun and returned to shoot him. I really can't imagine Norm saying something to piss someone off so much to come back with a gun! He was one of the most charming and nicest people I've ever met. I still can't believe he's really gone. I had planned on going to talk to him in a few weeks about TAing for a summer class. The last time I saw him was when he entered the men's bathroom a few months ago. I wanted to stand around and say hi but felt it would be really creepy for me to hang around the men's bathroom just do that and figured I'd get another chance. I didn't. Norm's death to me is a reminder that life can be too short and unpredictable. So to Norm, thanks for reminding me to not put off until tomorrow what I can do today and that life shouldn't be all work, remember to have fun.
