WASHINGTON, D.C. — One former Richmond Senior High School educator and coach will now live on in the National Archives.
Jason Norton, who passed away in early June after a four-year battle with cancer, spent the majority of his career as a teacher and coach with Richmond County Schools.
A resident of Hamlet and a two-time state champion kicker for the Raiders in the late 1980s, he was also an All-American kicker at Catawba College, where he met his wife Lauren.
Splitting time between Richmond Senior High School and Hamlet Middle School, Norton was involved in coaching several sports. “Biggie” served as the Raiders’ kicking coach, worked in several roles at the junior varsity level and was involved with the baseball program.
His last stint was at Hamlet as the Red Rams’ football coach before he left RCS to pursue his dream as an athletic director at Pine Forest High School in the fall of 2015.
A man loved by those he’d impacted in the classroom, on the field and in the community, Norton was recognized less than a week after his death on the floor of the United States Congress.
Congressman Dan Bishop, who represents the 9th congressional district in North Carolina, which includes Richmond County, honored Norton’s life’s work during an extension of remarks on June 11 in Washington, D.C.
By Bishop speaking in front of Congress, his remarks became a part of congressional record, which will keep Norton’s memory alive.
“Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Jason L. Norton, who sadly lost his battle against cancer last Wednesday,” Bishop opened. “Jason was a pillar in his community and was loved by all who knew him. He fought until his very last day with us.
“While Jason left us far too young, he had a lasting impact on the lives of young people and created a community of folks connected by his leadership,” he continued. “Jason’s passing represents a grave loss in Hamlet and across North Carolina. May his selfless dedication and passion be an example for us all.”
Chris Maples, who is the district director for Bishop, was a high school friend and former colleague of Norton’s at Richmond Senior High School.
Maples, his wife Toni, also a teacher, and Norton all graduated Richmond “around the same time,” and the two future educators would spend four years working together at Richmond from 2006 to 2010.
“When Jason got sick, of course we were tracking his health,” Maples explained. “When he passed, I contacted our D.C. office to see if we could do something to honor him.
“His sister, Ryan, was a big help and this was just an example of friends and family coming together to do what we could for Jason,” he added. “What we did was have a text of that speech stored in the National Archives and we presented a copy of it to his family.”
While Lauren Norton, her three sons Alex, Kevin and Jase, Norton’s sister Ryan and the rest of their family are still grieving his loss, the gesture by Bishop and Maples was just another act of kindness that they are grateful for.
“The neat thing I pulled from is that Jason is really part of the history books now,” Lauren said. “Now our children and family will have this reflection of Jason and his life, and they’ll get to see his journey and the impact he had on the lives of former students, players and peers.
“He will live on, which is really cool. It was a nice way of honoring him,” she added. “This is a very special thing for our family, especially for Jase, our 10-year-old son. As years go on, memories will fade, but now we have actual documents expressing how great Jason was. Our kids can learn from this.”
The Norton family was presented with an official document of Bishop’s remarks on the floor, and is just the next piece of a scrapbook Lauren is building to remember her husband’s life and accomplishments. Included are cards, photos, news articles and other momentos.
Lauren Norton said the album of good memories “makes the loss a little bit easier to handle” and gives the family “something concrete to remember the good things Jason did and the impact he had on others.”
Of all the gestures of kindness expressed to the Norton family over the last six weeks, Lauren said words can’t do it justice and that she is “very appreciative” of people inside and outside of the community for offering support and well-wishes.
“Jason would be absolutely blown away by all of this,” Lauren said. “For him to know that he made an impact on somebody’s life, that’s what fueled him. He wasn’t in his profession for pay, and he loved Richmond County — it has his heart.
“He was also fueled by feedback from others and words of affirmation are what kept him going,” she added. “Jason had a great love for people, and all of these stories would make him feel that everything he has done was worth it.”
She added that she knows Norton is “definitely at peace” and said that she and her family can sense that Norton is with them daily.
