Norman Conklin; gave his Saturdays to youths
Remember three things, Norman J. Conklin Jr. used to tell his children: Never, ever quit -- always keep trying, no matter what. Get an education. Stay together.
Mr. Conklin, whose weekend work with African-American youth touched hundreds of lives, died Jan. 13 after a fall outside his Dorchester home. He was 74 and most recently had volunteered at the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, after a long career as an engineer at
''Some people go through life seeking out their vocation and calling," said Darnell Williams, the Urban League's president and chief executive. ''I believe Norm found his calling by exposing young people to the math and science arenas. He was passionate about it."
Mayor Thomas M. Menino called Mr. Conklin, who had worked for the Boston public schools after Honeywell, ''one of the quiet giants of Boston."
Born in Boston, Mr. Conklin grew up in Cambridge and was first attracted to technology as a teenager during World War II, when he belonged to the Civil Air Patrol. He graduated from Cambridge Rindge & Latin and enlisted in the Army in 1951, serving during the Korean War. He was awarded two Bronze Stars and rose to the rank of sergeant.
Mr. Conklin received an associate's degree from Wentworth Institute, a bachelor's from Northeastern University, and did graduate work at Boston University and the University of Massachusetts.
Though he worked at Honeywell and the Boston public schools, he reserved much of his energy for the children he helped to inspire during Saturday programs with a variety of nonprofit groups.
''His real drive was to bring science and technology to kids who weren't getting enough at school or didn't have the resources," said his son, Norman J. III of Methuen.
Mr. Conklin ''was a wonderful, wonderful human being, and he loved children," said Bettye Robinson, former interim president of the Boston branch of the NAACP. ''Whenever you saw him, he was with a group of kids, in a workshop or a lab. He always told the kids that they were No. 1, and they must excel -- and they did. The children will certainly miss him, as well as adults. He always had a Saturday class going somewhere."
Mr. Conklin worked with several organizations, including the Massachusetts Pre-Engineering Program for Minority Students; the Boston branch of the NAACP's Afro-Academic Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics, or ACT-SO; and the Partnership in Math and Science Program.
Mr. Conklin also worked to establish a scholarship and mentoring program named for his late friend Ronald McNair, an astronaut who died in the Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1986.
He took great pride in his ancestors' service during the Civil War and Revolutionary War, serving on the board of directors of the 54th Glory Brigade, a Civil War organization, and giving presentations at Boston schools.
''He was a very genuine person," said John O'Neill, school coordinator for the Boston public schools, who worked with Mr. Conklin. ''He gave a lot to his work, a lot to his family, and to the community at large."
His son said that for the past few years, Mr. Conklin ''was officially retired, [but] he wasn't the type to sit at home."
He volunteered at the Urban League, with photos of his grandchildren on his desk. Mr. Conklin's death is a great loss, the organization's president said.
''When we say loss, we say 'home-going,' " Williams said. ''Our loss is God's gain. When someone goes to be with the Lord, they are in a better place. We are happy that Norm is in a better place and space."
He added, though, that ''if there's a math and science program in heaven, Norm's probably going to apply. He's going to convince some folks that he's the right guy for the job."
In addition to his son, Mr. Conklin leaves his wife of 50 years, Sally (Haskins), of California; and six daughters, Mary of Georgia, Nanci Lawton of Dorchester, Jackie Bush and Shirley of California, Judy of Florida, and Nina Conklin Morrow of North Carolina; and seven grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. today at St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church in Cambridge.
