Norman Walker
March 11, 1929 – June 27, 2018
Norm was born near Clatonia, Nebraska and he was an avid Cornhusker fan. He received degrees in Agriculture and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska and was a veteran of the Korean War. He worked on ordnance for the Nike Zeus missile, which was an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system developed by the US Army during the late 1950s and early 1960s that was designed to destroy incoming Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile warheads before they could hit their targets. The majority of his career as a mechanical engineer was spent working on the space program, initially in California and later in Huntsville, Alabama, where he notably designed the separation system for the Saturn V Solid Rocket Booster (SRB). He designed the 1st/2nd separation stage of the Saturn V rocket, still the most powerful machine ever built. The trick was to have an explosion that separated the stages but not blow up the rocket. The first manned flight of the Saturn V took three people all the way to the moon. He published several books in the last years of his life. He enjoyed sailing and racing at Brown’s Creek Sailing Club on Guntersville Lake and Wheeler Lake on the Tennessee River. He was active in the Alabama Wildflower Society, serving as the treasure for many years. Using GPS and digital mapping programs, he created numerous maps of Alabama hiking trails which were adopted by the Alabama State Park Service and used by many people. He also enjoyed attending classes at Learning Quest in Huntsville and led hikes for them for many years.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Marilyn Walker; son, Ron Walker; daughter, Jean Hidden and grandsons, Austin and Alex.
A Celebration of Life ceremony will be held in North Carolina.
