38 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE You XXIX, 1922 
truths he so simply and adeptly unfolded to them from his lecture 
room. 
At the time of his death he was engaged in an intensive study 
of the Einstein “Theory of Relativity.” His last public utterance, 
aside from his class room work was a lecture on this subject de- 
livered before a joint meeting of the physics and chemistry clubs 
of Iowa Wesleyan College, and it is said by those who were 
privileged to hear it, to have been remarkable, both for the clear- 
ness of his conception of the theory and also for his ability to 
explain it by the use of such simple terms and illustrations 
that many of the pertinent facts might be grasped by even the 
under-graduate student. 
It may truthfully be said, that Professor Norwood sacrificed 
his life for science, for the immediate cause of his fatal illness 
was exposure brought about by a strenuous trip to Iowa City to 
sit in on the lecture of Dr. H. A. Lorenz, of the University of 
Leyden, Holland, on the subject of “Old and New Mechanics,” 
given before the students of the Graduate College of the State 
University on the evening of March, 6, 1922. The trip required 
his being up on two consecutive nights, which exertion overtaxed 
his strength, the physical strain being too great for a man of 
his years. He returned home exhausted and suffering from an 
illness which quickly developed into pneumonia, and on March the 
30th, 1922, he fell asleep in death as quietly as he had lived. 
Although a member of the Iowa Academy of Science but a 
short time, he impressed all those who were privileged to know him 
as an earnest student and a Christian gentleman. He was con- 
scientious in his work and faithful to every duty. His quaint, 
gentle mannerisms will not soon be forgotten, and though he is 
gone, his influence for the good of science will live on in the lives 
of the four generations of students, many of whom are now emi- 
nent scientists, who sat under his teachings. 
In 1889 he was married to Mary Greenleaf Thuthell, and is 
survived by her and one daughter, Helen Alice, who was born 
to the union. His earthly remains were taken to Matewan, New 
Jersey, where they were laid to rest. 
Ben Hur Wilson 
