Jerry Norton, 88, a longtime resident of Oak Park, has died. Born on Oct. 6, 1937 in Salina, Kansas, one of five children of Frank Norton and Helen Schrader Norton, he was educated in the Salina Public Schools, at Kansas Wesleyan University (1959), Washburn University Law School in Topeka (1962) and Northwestern University (1967). In Kansas he was engaged in law practice in the Norton family firm (1962-1966). In 1966 he and his wife Margaret drove their VW Beetle to the big city, settling in Chicago and later in Oak Park, their home for many years after.
For 48 years he taught hundreds of law students who went on to become prominent attorneys, judges, legislators and government officials at Chicago-Kent Law School from 1966 to 1971 and Loyola University Law School from 1971 to 2015. He especially loved engagement with his classes, but he was also a scholar and an active participant in the civic life of the communities where he lived. At Chicago-Kent he was an organizer of the Police Law Institute and editor of the Police Law Reporter. Over the years during his tenure at Loyola he published articles in many journals. Between 1992 and 2002 he was active in CEELI, the American Bar Association’s Central and East European Law Institute, where wrote draft law reviews and concept papers for legislation submitted in the countries newly released from the domination of the Soviet Union.
In Salina and in Oak Park Jerry served on community boards and committees. He was a chair of the Plan Commission in Oak Park and a founding member of the Friends of the Dole Branch Library.
He was grateful for his life and pleased to share his knowledge, which was considerable. When after 20 years as a trustee in 2024 he was awarded emeritus status in a unanimous vote by the trustees of his Kansas Wesleyan and received this accolade: “Your leadership, insight, and unwavering dedication have left a lasting impression on the university’s mission and its future.”
