Norm Nicholson, alumni and bus driver

(Continued from District Digest)

the Haggards and the Armstrong twins. What I recall is that even the wealthiest people in Plano were down to earth and very kind and friendly. Another favorite person was Mr. Cox, our school janitor. My brothers and I would visit with him most mornings before school. We'd watch him shovel coal to stoke the furnace in the building.

Digest: From your perspective as a student, and now an employee, what distinguishes Plano ISD from other school districts?

Norm: Quality...Plano ISD has always attracted people because of its quality schools, quality teachers, quality educational facilities and quality people.

Norm appears third from right in this 1958 yearbook photo. Also pictured are Superintendent E.A. Sigler (left) and Principal T.H. Williams (right).

Digest: What do you enjoy most about driving a school bus and working in the transportation department?

Norm: Driving a school bus is an awesome responsibility. If you think about it too hard, it can be overwhelming. You have a bus filled with 60 or so kids. You have to remain focused all the time on the road ahead, other drivers and the responsibility of student management. Parents trust you with the safety of their children, so safety is always the highest priority.

				In his senior yearbook, Norm is listed as participating in football, baseball, volleyball, band, library club, Phi Bi Chem and the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) club

Digest: What is it like transporting students?

Norm: A bus driver is a role model. Kids are monitoring what you do and how you do it. It may be hard to see, but you do make a difference in their lives. It's most important to establish a relationship, a rapport in the small things that you do for them each day. Just saying, "Good Morning. Have a good day," helps you build a relationship. If they like you, it's more difficult for them to be belligerent. If you have their best interests at heart, you'll help them succeed in school.

Norm is pictured playing varsity football for the 1957-58 Plano Wildcats.

Digest: Do you recall your school bus driver?

Norm: Mr. Rogers was our driver. He drove a maroon and gray bus because maroon was the only (school spirit) color then. I rode the bus until I got my driver's license. Then, I worked through junior high and high school delivering groceries to families all over town.

Digest: What is the sense of camaraderie like among bus drivers?

Norm: Transportation is a special place to work. Thanks to our director Andrew Forrester, there's an open door policy. You're treated like a professional. The drivers are all very supportive of one another. We fall over each other to help, if we get a radio call.

There's a lot of guff that goes on in the break room between bus routes. We're pretty competitive about our school teams. I'm torn because I drive the Plano West football team, I'm a Plano alumni, and my nephew Kyle Nicholson is starting tackle on the Plano East football team.

Digest: How would you describe the transportation team in one word?

Norm: Selfless. You give yourself away to do the things that you have to do for student safety..."Plano ISD" is written on the side of your bus. You want to make a good impression and be a positive member of the district team.

Digest: What advice do you have for today's drivers who share the road with school buses?

Norm: Drive defensively. Be alert at all times.

Norm is pictured with Jackson Elementary School students Bryan, Jerry and Vincente. He also transports students to and from Frankford Middle School and Jasper High School.

Norm's career spanned 30 years in the data processing / technology field, prior to his joining the Plano ISD staff. He began teaching at the U.S. Army Finance School in Indiana, then worked for Southwestern Bell in St. Louis and Ft. Worth. He spent the next 11 years with EDS and later served as vice-president of a New York City brokerage firm and a paging company in Plano.

Norm married Trudy Weatherford whom he met at the University of Texas at Arlington. They have three daughters, Christy, Paige and Lacey and six grandchildren, all residing in the Dallas area.

Trudy and Norman Nicholson with their children and grandchildren.

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