Norm Kerth's Situation

A note from Karl Wiegers:

Norm Kerth is a highly respected software consultant and author, perhaps best known as the father of retrospectives and author of the seminal book Project Retrospectives: A Handbook for Team Reviews. In early 1999, Norm suffered a disabling brain injury in an automobile accident caused by someone talking on a cell phone. Because of his very limited financial situation at that time, I set up the Norm Kerth Benefit Fund to collect donations to help Norm. Below is an update he has asked me to post:

"I am pleased to announce that the Norm Kerth Benefit Fund has achieved its goal, and I declare that it been a success!

"With my current frugal lifestyle, I believe I will have enough funds to last through my retirement, so it is time to urge gifting towards the many other needs in this world.

"My brain injury is not something I wish I had experienced. However, one gift from that event is to learn how many friends I have who wanted to help me, and even more amazingly, discover the many people who were moved to help a colleague though dark economic times, whom I never had a chance to meet. I am deeply grateful to experience each act of charity—a blessing that rarely occurs in one's life.

"I have found being the recipient of this group's generosity to be a most endearing, touching, remarkable, rewarding, and unusual way to end my career.

"Thank you to all of you. You have made my life richer, well beyond your donations."

Karl again: My heartfelt thanks also to all of you who contributed to Norm, in so many ways. I know how much it has meant to him.