The Richard Norman Scholarship Fund has been established by Mrs Dorothy Norman in memory of her late husband. The scholarship fund is for the benefit of postgraduate students in the Department of Engineering undertaking research in electrical engineering.
Throughout Richard's working life, from being a newly qualified graduate to becoming the leading representative of the UK's Consumer Electronics industry, he displayed extraordinary perception and management skills. A true industrial polymath.
Douglas Topping, colleague
Rachel Hyman is the first holder of the Richard Norman Scholarship. Rachel visited Dorothy Norman to thank her personally for the generous benefaction.
Richard (Dickie) Edward Norman CBE studied electrical engineering at King’s College and went on to have a major influence on consumer electronics. He left university in 1943 and went to work at the company which soon became the Ferguson Radio Corporation (FRC Ltd) going directly into the Electrical Laboratory to work on Military Radio Equipment.
When television restarted after the war in 1946, Richard was in the team that designed the electronic circuitry of Ferguson's first ever TV receiver, quickly becoming in charge of all circuit development for the Company. Soon thereafter he became responsible for its mechanical engineering as well.
About this time Thorn Electrical Industries (TEl Ltd) - of which Ferguson was a major part - was growing at a great rate, absorbing many other companies such as Ultra and Philco. Richard’s management skills were instrumental in blending together some high profile personalities into a single operating department, located on several different sites, many miles apart.
Under his guidance the company continued to grow, exploiting every technical innovation, consequently expanding into worldwide export sales of radio, unit audio, hi-fi and television. It was during Richard’s time that the company took the biggest gamble possible by introducing its first colour TV in a totally new form - modular and all solid state, containing no valves. In its time revolutionary technology.
After the takeover of EMI by Thorn Electrical Industries, Richard became a member of the main board, and Chairman of the Ferguson R&TV subsidiary. He was also Chairman of the British Retail Electrical Manufacturers Association (BREMA) and the European Association of Consumer Electronics Manufacturers (EACEM) and worked closely with Lord Thorneycroft to ensure the future of the electronic industry.
Douglas Topping, one of Richard's colleagues, commented: "Throughout the whole of his working life, from being a newly qualified graduate to the leading representative of the UK's Consumer Electronics industry, Dickie displayed extraordinary perception and management skills. A true industrial polymath!"
When they met, Rachel presented Dorothy with a beautifully produced copy of her first article and explained the nature of her research in optics and photonics. Rachel is researching materials for liquid crystal devices that create images by diffraction. She aims to improve their performance and increase their range of uses.
Dorothy and her friends Geraldine and Richard Louch reminisced with Rachel about Richard’s life and career, particularly his leading role in the UK’s consumer electronics industry and his life-long enthusiasm for Spurs.
