| Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging -- The Founders |
 |
| Arthur Norris began his career at the NIH as a biologist in 1947. When he died in 1980, he was Chief of the Human Performance Section of the National Institute on Aging. Within that period, he had served as coordinator of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging for over 22 years. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1925, Mr. Norris earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri; he later earned a master's in personnel management from George Washington University, Washington, D.C. In 1943, he joined the Naval Reserves and served in the Navy during World War II. In 1946, he began working with Baltimore City Hospital and was commissioned a Public Health Service officer in 1952, from which he retired in 1971. Dr. Nathan Shock characterized him as "... a steady right hand and a great pillar of strength. He provided enthusiasm for the study of aging..." Dr. Shock and Mr. Norris enjoyed a truly complementary working relationship. While both possessed a wide array of talents and interests, Arthur Norris possessed unusual ability to implement Dr. Shock's research designs with the rigorous methodology required. |  |
| Investigator, administrator, and mentor, he conducted original research mainly in exercise physiology and body composition changes. Mr. Norris also served as the Study's chief diplomat among staff, researchers, and subjects. Honest and modest, "He was an unsung hero to the longitudinal subjects, buying them daily newspapers, lunches, and ...tickets to the holiday parties," one staff member recalls. As one subject put it, "He made me feel not like a guinea pig, but like a human being who is part of a great scientific enterprise." |
| Dr. Jordan Tobin, Chief of the NIA Applied Physiology Section and a longtime colleague, remembers his great patience in teaching. "We learned something very important from Art: patience." Similarly, according to Dr. Shock: "[He] was always willing to train young physicians who had little or no research experience. His willingness to help others was one of his most outstanding traits." Along with all his duties, he managed to write numerous articles on many aspects of physiology and related subjects. |
| A member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and New York Academy of Sciences and fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, Mr. Norris received a National Institutes of Health Merit Award in 1978. The BLSA's growth and great success in its first 23 years accounts largely to his leadership. The NIA Director's conference room on the first floor of the Gerontology Research Center is named in his honor. |
| IRP Home What's New Contact Us Accessibility Disclaimer Privacy Site Search Site Map NIA Home |
 |
 |
 |