Unwritten last chapter
Thursday, November 4th, 2010Believing that “people are remarkable stories” with the last chapter unwritten, Ray Norman, dean of the School of Science, Engineering, and Health, embraces opportunities to learn about people and hear their personal stories.
That skill has come in handy as he has managed a water and mobility project in West Africa for the past several years.
West Africa is an area where oral storytelling is valued. Norman knows the region and the art of storytelling well as he grew up there.
When Norman, a water engineer by trade, came to Messiah in 2002, the College’s Collaboratory for Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research had already been working in Africa, specifically Burkina Faso, for a number of years. In 2005, World Vision approached Norman and asked for the Collaboratory’s assistance to design latrines and wells accessible to handicapped people in Mali.