Longtime Wichita journalist Bud Norman was a loyal friend and always his own man
Bud Norman — a longtime Wichita Eagle reporter, book author, political blogger and well-known Wichitan — will be remembered for his wit, intellect and loyalty as a friend, say many who knew him.
Norman, who worked as a reporter and columnist at the Eagle for 25 years ending in 2005, died early Thursday morning at Wesley Medical Center with his parents, Earl and Pat Norman, by his side.
He was 61.
Norman had been unwell when he went to the doctor on Aug. 20, his birthday, his family said. He was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with kidney and liver failure.
On Thursday, social media was flooded with tributes by Norman’s friends, past co-workers and admirers, who described him as a true original. A longtime Riverside resident, Norman drove only convertible cars and could frequently be seen zipping around town wearing his signature Panama hat. He was known for always having a joke at the ready and would share one with whomever he was talking to, whether invited or not. And he always told it in his unique scratchy voice.
Born Michael Ray Norman, he was raised in Wichita but born in the Philippines, where his father was serving as a pilot in the Air Force. His family moved to Wichita when he was an infant, and Norman grew up to love Wichita, insisting on staying even when his brothers and parents eventually moved away.
His hangout was the bar Kirby’s Beer Store near the Wichita State University campus, and he could frequently be found there chatting with fellow “Kirby-ites,” as devotees of the dive bar call themselves. The COVID-19 pandemic, which cut Norman off from that social circle, had been tough on him, said his younger brother Ken, an attorney in California.
Norman loved his friends fiercely, and they loved him in return.
“There was just something about Bud,” Ken Norman said. “People were just drawn to him.”
Norman’s mother, Pat, remembers that he fell in love with writing in the seventh grade and she would often wake to hear him pounding on his typewriter in the middle of the night.
As a student at Heights High School in the late 1970s, he joined the staff of the student newspaper, The Highlighter. It was then that Norman adopted the pen name “Bud,” which he chose as a tribute to his beloved maternal grandfather, Bud.
From then on, he was known as Bud, his family members said.
During high school, Norman also developed an interest in politics, and the summer before his senior year, he worked as a page at the United State Supreme Court. The following summer, he worked as a writer for then-Sen. Bob Dole.
He earned a debate scholarship and attended Kansas State University, where he won best speaker at the National Collegiate Debate Tournament.
But one year into college, at age 19, Norman took a job typing obituaries for the Wichita Eagle-Beacon. He never returned to school and instead worked his way up to a staff writer position at the paper. Ken Norman laughed remembering how his brother would later scoff at colleagues who’d graduated from journalism school.
“I called Bud a reverse snob,” he said. “He was snobbish about not being snobbish.”
After leaving the Eagle, Norman accepted occasional freelance jobs for national publications like the New York Times. He was hired in 2005 by the Times to cover the capture and arrest of Wichita serial killer Dennis Rader, known as BTK.
In 2003, he published a political novel set in Kansas titled “The Things That Are Caesar’s.” He eventually completed a second novel, his brother said, publishing it online. For the past nine years, Norman devoted himself to his political blog called The Central Standard Times, where he would publish musings on state and national politics several times a week. His last post, dated Aug. 17, detailed his thoughts on the direction the Republican Party should take.
Norman was well known around town for appearing in “Gridiron,” the annual spoof musical show produced by the Society of Professional Journalists as a fundraiser for journalism scholarships. He wrote and performed his own skits, which always reflected his biting political humor. He was part of the show for 35 years.
One of Norman’s close friends was Jack Kellogg, who owns Hatman Jack’s hat store in Delano. The two initially bonded over music — Norman loved classic country music and knew every word to every Merle Haggard song ever written, Kellogg said. Norman also was a lover of local art and had many pieces displayed in his home.
Norman also would shop at Kellogg’s stores for his signature hats — a Panama hat in the summer and a fedora in the winter.
“It always seemed to me that Bud could have easily walked out of a Raymond Chandler mystery novel with a pack of smokes and a beat up fedora,” Kellogg said with a laugh, adding that he would express his displeasure when Norman’s hats became too beat up.
Norman’s mother, Pat, said that Bud was always Bud, even from childhood. She and her husband left Wichita 35 years ago, settling in Pennsylvania, but recently moved back to be closer to their middle son, who took good care of them, she said.
“He always marched to a different drummer. He was his own man from the time he was a little boy,” she said. “I don’t know who’s going to make me laugh now that he’s gone.”
Norman is survived by his parents, brothers and sisters-in-law Stephen (Cynda) of Grand Junction, Colorado, Kenneth (Kathleen) of Porter Ranch, California, his Aunt Buzzy (Karl) of Edmond, Oklahoma and dozens of cousins.
A service will be held at RiverWalk Church of Christ, 225 N. Waco, Wichita. Details will be posted on Friday afternoon.
A viewing will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday at Downing & Lahey, 6555 E. Central. A funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at the West Douglas Church of Christ, 1924 W. Douglas.
In lieu of flowers, his family asks people to make donations to Gridiron at www.wichitagridiron.com.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 1:24 PM.
.jpg)