Rick Cawston

02/03/2022
Prof. Barbaree
English 1102

The Ballad of an Abnormal Norman

“I looked at the map and compared it to where we were sailing. That’s when I realized

what our target was supposed to be.” For this project, I decided to interview my maternal

grandfather, Norman Oubre. For nearly 20 years, I have held a special connection with my

grandfather as one of his oldest grandchildren. For the longest time, we have shared the military

service connection, a connection that nobody in our immediate family can share with us. Because

of that closeness with my grandfather, I am very excited to share his story with the world.

Norman Anthony Oubre was born on February 10, 1941, to Anthony and Teresa Oubre in

Port Arthur, Texas. His family grew up in a culture where things were held on to until they were

no longer good, solely because there was no guarantee as to when his family could afford to find

another one of those items. He, his older sister, Jeannine, and his two younger brothers, Michael,

and AJ grew up in a well-disciplined household under the watchful eye of his mother. Because of

the way he was raised, Norm has always emphasized the importance of listening to more

experienced individuals as well as taking care of what you have.(explain how being raised gave

this view) 1947, Norm’s parents moved the family from Port Arthur to Slidell, Louisiana where

his mother would continue to live until she passed away in 2011 at the age of 91.
 While being only eight years old at the time, Norm would have to adjust to his life in a

new state. While living there, Norm would see through all of the major accomplishments

someone could experience in their youth. He finished out grade school, and left town with his

high school diploma. After that, Norm approached the Navy to become an officer to fly jets.

However, because he didn’t have a college degree, he would have to either enlist or attend

college… to which he decided to attend Tulane University.

After graduating from Tulane, Norm joined the Navy under a six-year contract and

became an air crewman for the nuclear bomb capable, A-3 Skywarrior. His training would

primarily include navigation and a brief stint as a bombardier. He saw service on the USS

Forrestal, and the USS Hancock, although the majority of his time at sea would be aboard the

USS Kitty Hawk. Some of his overseas trips included Cuba and Japan, including a close cruise

past Communist China. While flying in his A-3, Norm would serve primarily in a reconnaissance

squadron (still had bombing capability) and also had a brief time as part of a heavy attack

squadron. Norm’s time in the Navy has allowed him to share stories with me that cover a wide

variety of things. One story he talked about when he was watching aircraft land on his carrier.

One aircraft that was on its final approach had a faulty ejector seat where the First Officer of the

aircraft had a partial ejection while on final approach. As a result of the partial ejection, the First

Officer was stuck halfway out of the plane while it was still in the air!
 Fortunately, the pilot was able to maintain his cool and land the aircraft without further

incident. Other stories have included the times where Norm has sat between two nuclear bombs

inside his aircraft as well as the countless times he and his buddies have launched random objects

off of the ship’s aircraft catapults. Whenever I talk to him about his time in the Navy, Norm

always reflects on those memories with a warm smile and a hearty laugh when he tells his

stories. To this day, he maintains close contact with the friends he met while serving in the Navy.

By the time Norm was finished with the Navy, he was ready to settle down in Louisiana

with his wife, Margaret Francis Oubre. There, they would have three children, Scott, Renee, and

John Oubre. Scott was the eldest child in the family, and frequently got into trouble with his

parents and eventually the law. Renee was the middle child, and frequently excelled in school.

John was the youngest, and often followed his older brother around. Whenever talking about his

children, Norm would always talk about how they behaved and what he expected of them. He

always said he expected Scott and John to maintain Cs, although Scott would frequently fail his

classes. He would always reflect fondly on Renee, his daughter, and my mother, to talk about

how pleasant she was to have around. He would always say he would have been in the front yard

doing cartwheels if Renee had anything lower than a B in any of her classes. Fortunately, that

was never the case. Around this time, Norm would purchase what would become a relatively

controversial family heirloom, a 1964 ½ Ford Mustang. This Mustang is one of the first 10,000

Mustangs ever built, and thus, a piece of history today. This Mustang would work its way

through the family where it would be wrecked frequently, mostly at the fault of Scott, and was

even part of a robbery. Again, a result of Scott.

 Eventually, the Mustang would work its way to my mother where she would drive it her

senior year of high school with the doors strung together by a bungee cord. Out of the love for

his daughter, Norm took the Mustang away for “service” where he would have it completed for

her to go to prom and graduation in. Since then, the Mustang has fallen into disrepair as a result

of a number of things ranging from Scott to Hurricane Katrina and wound up in the hands of

Norm where it would slowly be rebuilt and remain in pieces until Renee took over the rebuilding

of the Mustang in late 2021.

In the early 1980s, Norm moved his family to Gainesville, Georgia where his children

would finish their education and begin their adult lives. Renee and John would both get married

and lead on successful lives, raising multiple children each. Scott, however, continued down his

path of crime and general trouble, and would maintain minimal contact with his family. In the

1990s, Norm would have to suffer through the passing of his wife in Virginia, right before his

daughter’s wedding. This was a very tough time emotionally, and one of the rare instances that

would bring his family together. Norm would never remarry after losing his wife. Even today, he

swears off dating other women, and still holds his wife near to his heart.
 After maintaining several jobs as a businessman, Norm would retire back to Louisiana

and help his aging mother. There, he would maintain the property as best he could and wound up

riding out several hurricanes, the last one being Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In 2011, his mother

passed away as a result of natural causes, which allowed Norm to return to what remained of his

family in Georgia. He finally found a home to rent in Woodstock, Georgia in 2012 and started

his own computer repair business to occupy his time. Norm would continue to live there until

December of 2021 where he moved into a senior living center in Kennesaw, Georgia that his

son-in-law’s parents live in. Today, Norm lives in his apartment and is frequently visited by his

daughter and grandchildren.