Norm was born and raised in Portland and was educated at Caltech (B.S. Chemistry), and Harvard (Ph.D. Biological Chemistry). He worked for DuPont, mostly in marketing, and later was a founding employee of Applied Biosystems. After retiring, Norm became a “soccer mom” (actually a “swim dad”) and was elected to the San Carlos School Board, where he served for 12 years. With both children now grown, he and his wife Carol, a retired Spanish teacher, study Western Civilization, travel, and try to stay in shape.