2008 Woodie Awards
Students stunned by loss of Vaughn '10
Ben Salkowe
Issue date: 11/30/06 Section: News
Vaughn's intelligence and humor made him a witty contributor to his classes.
"His initial presence walking into a room was quiet, but he had a strong voice in the class and he always spoke, and he spoke whether he had done the reading or not!" said Wright with a smile. "He was sometimes the one who would come in, and I knew he hadn't read something, and yet he would often pick up on something we were talking about and say something really useful to the class discussion. He was very, very smart."
Wright remembered that Vaughn would casually suggest creative research projects and papers in class when an interesting question was raised.
"I was always saying 'Yes, Norbert, that would be a good research project,' and everyone in the room would look like, 'Oh, Norbert, thanks a lot for coming up with another research project which we're not going to do because we already have a ton of work!'" said Wright.
But even more than academics, Vaughn loved meeting his peers, hearing their stories and getting to know them outside class.
"He really met so many people in the time he was here," said Swisher. Swisher said Vaughn was a creative person who went so far as to write rhymes and songs for people and even freestyle "pretty well."
"He was very into the 80s dance, and I saw him walk into my hall wearing the shortest shorts that I could imagine," said Shoutis. "They were girls' shorts he'd borrowed from a girl upstairs, and the first thing he said was, 'You gotta have balls to wear these shorts.'"
Although friends say he did not complain of headaches in the beginning of the semester, during fall break Vaughn went to the health center with severe migraines. College staff sent him to Porter where CAT scans found a brain tumor was causing his symptoms. Vaughn next went to Fletcher Allen in Burlington for a procedure that drained fluid from his skull so he could travel. Vaughn withdrew from Middlebury and his parents took him back home for surgery to remove the tumor at Vanderbilt Medical Center.
"His initial presence walking into a room was quiet, but he had a strong voice in the class and he always spoke, and he spoke whether he had done the reading or not!" said Wright with a smile. "He was sometimes the one who would come in, and I knew he hadn't read something, and yet he would often pick up on something we were talking about and say something really useful to the class discussion. He was very, very smart."
Wright remembered that Vaughn would casually suggest creative research projects and papers in class when an interesting question was raised.
"I was always saying 'Yes, Norbert, that would be a good research project,' and everyone in the room would look like, 'Oh, Norbert, thanks a lot for coming up with another research project which we're not going to do because we already have a ton of work!'" said Wright.
But even more than academics, Vaughn loved meeting his peers, hearing their stories and getting to know them outside class.
"He really met so many people in the time he was here," said Swisher. Swisher said Vaughn was a creative person who went so far as to write rhymes and songs for people and even freestyle "pretty well."
"He was very into the 80s dance, and I saw him walk into my hall wearing the shortest shorts that I could imagine," said Shoutis. "They were girls' shorts he'd borrowed from a girl upstairs, and the first thing he said was, 'You gotta have balls to wear these shorts.'"
Although friends say he did not complain of headaches in the beginning of the semester, during fall break Vaughn went to the health center with severe migraines. College staff sent him to Porter where CAT scans found a brain tumor was causing his symptoms. Vaughn next went to Fletcher Allen in Burlington for a procedure that drained fluid from his skull so he could travel. Vaughn withdrew from Middlebury and his parents took him back home for surgery to remove the tumor at Vanderbilt Medical Center.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
joelvaughn
Joel Vaughn
posted 12/15/06 @ 4:03 PM EST
Thanks for writing this article about Norbert. I'm glad he has been a member of the Middlebury College community. He felt welcome, and I think it was the right college choice for him. (Continued…)
Lynn Myrick
posted 5/23/07 @ 3:37 PM EST
At the end of what would be Norbert's freshman year, I am so glad that he was able to spend just a brief time at Middlebury, where he found his true home among friends, mentors, and faculty. (Continued…)
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