Bobby Norris: A True Servant

Bobby Norris has and will always be a neighbor to Jasper County…a necessary neighbor at that. The long time community and civil servant is locally born and bred.

Mr. Norris was born in a brood of seven to Lottie Norris and the late Ulysses Norris, Sr. He and his wife, Brenda, are biological parents of two, Thad and Tori, but have taken the welfare of many under their wings over the years.

“Bobby loves the kids— all of them,” noted the person who suggested him for “Know Your Neighbor.”

Many readers may surely know Bobby from his two decades plus of service on the Jasper County Board of Ediucation and service on the Monticello Police Department since its inception in 1981 until its dismissal in 2014.

And if you are familiar with Bobby then you know he speaks frankly and deliberately with few apologies. He calls situations like he sees them—good or bad, right or wrong, indifferent or not. And he doesn’t sweat the small stuff so much—there are too many serious issues in life for that.

He credits the most important part of his life to his upbringing by his parents who worked tirelessly in the community while raising seven kids.

His mother, “Miss Lottie,” is fierce and feisty and deserves a feature of his own while his late father, reserved in demeanor, spent many, many years helping others in need during Octoberblitz and beyond.

“I had a mother and a father growing up who was there for each other and for us,” he said. “They inspired us to be our best selves everyday.”

Parenting is not what it used to be, Bobby recounted, and that could be where the hurdle for many youth starts today. If you ask, or even if you don’t, he could share countless stories about situations gone bad that likely could have been prevented with some attentivesness. Situations he witnessed as part of law enforcement and just as a concerned onlooker.

When he graduated Jasper County High School in 1972 he went on to attend Paine College and played a little basketball before serving in the U.S. Army for six years. When his job as captain and later chief with the MPD came to a conclusion, Bobby chose to stay in law enforcement as he currently works as campus security with Southern Crescent Technical College at the Jasper and Butts counties satellite locations. But he confesses that retirement is not too far off in his future.

Over the years, Bobby said that one of his greatest pleasures has been connecting with Jasper County kids as youth and seeing them blossom into adulthood responsibly.

One rule of life he imparted was that of 30/30/40— 30 percent of people will hate you; 30 percent of people will love you; and if you can get 20 percent of the 40 to like you, you’ll be all right.