Remembering Norman Krim

In yesterday's Boston Globe, you may have seen the following death notice:

"KRIM, Norman B. 98 of Newton on Wednesday morning, December 14, 2011. Radio Shack, Pollack Company, Raytheon Exec and Inventor, and at the Cutting Edge of Transistor Development. At Raytheon Krim was at the cutting edge of miniaturizing electron tubes in the 1940's, innovating many improvements for radar and armaments during WWII, and developing the first pocket radio using his tubes and later transistors for transistor radios in the 50's, leading the company and the global market on transistors. He was President of Radio Shack, a Boston-based company, and later of Joseph Pollak Company."
But Norm was none of that for Peter and Marash Girl.  They came to know Norm much later.  Peter and Norm first met at Newton Wellesley Hospital, after each of them had had a serious bout with their hearts.  They exercised together weekly under the supervision of Nurse Giselle who they adored. They soon decided to  start going for lunch after their weekly exercise, and go to lunch they did.  Once a week, after exercise, Norm and Peter, and soon Neil, would go to the Old Country Buffet in Watertown to chow down.  They looked forward to those luncheons.  But the day came when Newton Wellesley decided to cut back on its expenses and no longer allowed these 'boys' the luxury of a supervised exercise room, so their exercise became lonely daily walks, but their jovial luncheons continued weekly, now at the Newton Marriott where the waitresses and waiters doted on the three men as they ordered their Wednesday luncheon buffets.   A handsomer threesome you could not find! 

l to r  Neil Smith, Dr. Timothy Johnson (ABC & Channel 5), Norm Krim, Peter Bilezikian pose for Marash Girl at the Newton Marriott

The view of the Charles River was unmatchable and the conversations were non-stop . . . everything from history (ancient and modern), to old jokes to taxes to Presidential politics to memories of days gone by to the love life of the prettiest waitress in the room to the food being offered that day to the work that Norm was doing as archivist for Raytheon.   The day came when Peter gave up his driver's license (at age 92) and Marash Girl, who then drove Peter to those luncheons, joined the fray.  A more gracious group of jokesters could not be found . . . a contradiction in terms?  Not with these guys.  The 'boys' loved going to lunch at the Marriott and the waitresses doted on the 'boys'. When Peter left them for a Better Place in March of 2010, the luncheons were no longer.  As Marash Girl's father used to comment on such occasions, "Those days are gone . . . forever." 

But Marash Girl figures that Peter and Norm are whipping it up in heaven just as they did on earth, even as she writes this post.

Services for Norman Krim will be held this Sunday, December 18, at Levine Chapel, 470 Harvard Street in Brookline, Massachusetts.