Colonel Norman Vaughan Dies At 100

Alaska lost one of its beloved heroes today: Colonel Norman Vaughan.

Norman symbolized what I love most about Alaska: the spirit of adventure, of unending youth, of being just plain down to earth. (I won’t repeat his story here, but you can get it from my earlier Norman Vaughan post.)

When I first moved to Alaska, Norman (despite his international celebrity) wasn't above investing a couple days

of his life to help me make a film for my new business. He didn’t want anything for it. That’s just the way he was.

Norman’s life exemplifies the fact that you don’t have to live by anyone else’s rules:

• A man who dropped out of Harvard to live a life of adventure—and followed through on that pledge for 80 more years;
• A man who decided to move to Alaska in his 60’s and took a job as a janitor;
• A man who took up the Iditarod in his 70’s and raced into his 80’s, often finishing last, but living the dream;
• A man who married and deeply loved someone 40 years his junior, his beautiful wife Carolyn.

It seemed to me that Norman was always barely scraping by. I don’t know how he made ends meet. But that wasn’t what mattered to him. Living was what mattered. And being an inspiring example for others.

Norman was a gentleman down to the last. At his 100th birthday party last weekend, Yael kneeled down to congratulate Norman. You could see how much of a labor it was just for him to breathe. His eyes were heavy and his limbs were weak. And yet he mustered whatever little strength he had left after 100 years of hard living to smile and thank each person who greeted him. I can still hear his distinguished Boston Brahmin accent, saying, “Thank you. Thank you very much.”

Dan Toomey of AT&T set up a live video link to Norman’s 99-year old sister and his son on the East Coast. We were all seated around Norman as he received their birthday wishes. It must have been hard—knowing this would be the last time they would ever see each other—to share that intimate moment in front of 100 people. But if it was, no one let on. The toasts and stories were all upbeat, all joyous. What a gift AT&T gave Norman.

Norman's favorite saying was, “Dream big and dare to fail.” But when you truly dream big like Norman, can you really fail? His dream for his 100th birthday was to take his first drink of alcohol in his life—a sip of champagne—atop the mountain in Antarctica which Admiral Byrd named after him (Mt. Vaughan). A few months ago, as his health waned, he scaled that back to having a huge birthday party in Telluride. Two weeks ago, it was scaled back further to a party at Kaladi Brothers in Anchorage. The day of the party, it had to be moved to the hospital.

Norman did get that sip of champagne. (He hated it; it made him gag.) But it wasn't where he wanted it, and that’s not the moment I’ll remember.

At one point, Matt Hammer got up and sang a touching song he wrote for Norman many years ago: “It’s a Mahvelous Adventure Norman Vaughan.” We all joined in. Norman was loving it. I was sitting right in front of Norman, singing loudly. Several times, he looked over at me and smiled, and I could see the sparkle in his eye. He was so enjoying himself, right up to the last. That’s what I’ll remember Norman by, and that was the example he leaves for all of us.

(Afternote: Channel 2 did a beautiful story about Norman tonight.)

Comments

[SUNNY COVELL]

HELLO FROM BELMONT!
My emails to the both of you are bouncing again, so decided I would try this blog!Great pictures and story about Norman, and it is about the plans for his memorial that I have questions about.I have heard via the idita-support group that the date of the memorial has been changed to the Friday before the race. True or no? Would like details when available as many in this idita-group are planning on attending. Anybody who is anybody in the mushing world would want to be there to pay their respects. With all of the idita-madness that goes on before the race.......where besides the Sullivans Arena would have the space to accommodate all those people? Hopefully, there will be or has been,a more private memorail for family and CLOSE friends ..... like the Kaufmans!! Hope to hear from you guys...dont know WHY my emails keep bouncing : (
Lots of love,
Sunny

[MIchael Dane Vaughan]

Much Love and thank you to all who knew and cared for my Grandfather. It is comforting to know that all friends were there for him as we live in Charleston SC and have health issues of our own and could not be there in the end.... What a great man...

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Several times, he looked over at me and smiled, and I could see the sparkle in his eye. He was so enjoying himself, right up to the last.

[ClubPenguinCheats]

Much Love and thank you to all who knew and cared for my Grandfather.

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[Keir Farnum]

I still remember meeting him at Gerry Riley's place in Nenana. I had NO idea who he was and didn't find out till much later (I was a 15 year old punk rock kid with a mohawk who had just moved to AK and was hanging out with Gerry's son.) A memory I will treasure the rest of my life. A very remarkable man and one of my all time heroes. RIP Norman.

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