Norman Scotch

Scotch, Norman
Sep. 30, 1928 - Nov. 25, 2014
Norman Scotch, 86, Founding Dean of the Boston University School of Public Health, died unexpectedly on November 25. Born to a working-class family in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Norman volunteered for the army in 1946 and then used the G.I. bill to attend Boston University, an institution on which he would later have a major effect. He went on to earn a PhD in anthropology from Northwestern and a post-doctoral degree in public health at Harvard University. While a student at Boston University, Norman met the 'light of his life,' Freda. As Dean of the B.U. School of Public Health, Norman had 'vision where the rest of world wore bifocals.' Realizing that people working in the public health field needed better training, Norman developed a program that offered professionals the opportunity to continue working while they earned their degrees in Public Health. This approach soon gained popularity among other schools of public health.
Norman's eclectic interests included writing, painting, sculpting, photography, and poker playing. He loved music from Springsteen to Mahler, with a special place in his heart for Mozart. He was a life-long fan of all Boston sports teams. Despite significant resistance from his 'true north' Freda, Norman was a tchotchke collector extraordinaire. Norman treasured his connections with family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers. Norman could never walk into a store and just buy something without genuinely engaging with the person behind the counter. Norman will be dearly missed by his 'compass' Freda, his son Stephen and daughter-in-law Malia, his daughter Ruth and son-in-law Tony, his son Kenneth and daughter-in-law Kim, his granddaughter Jackie and her husband Laszlo, his grandson August, his granddaughter Aleta, and many nieces and nephews.