The Case of Forgotten Valor and Service
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The police would later report that the note was a disjointed expression of Mrs. Norton's feelings of failure, leaving them with more questions than answers about why Mrs. Irma Vivian Norton, a mother of three children, all under four, would choose to end her life during the Christmas season.
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Irma Vivian Shields was born on September 24, 1920, in Sugar Grove, Illinois, to John Erwin Shields, a high school principal, and Hazel M. Lingenfelter, a homemaker. After graduating from the University of Illinois, she worked as a dietitian in Joliet, Illinois.
In early 1943, Irma joined the Women’s branch of the US Naval Reserve, known as WAVES, which stands for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. Within a year of her enlistment, she earned a promotion to recruiting officer. Ensign Shields spent short stints in Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia. Her responsibilities included interviewing candidates for officer roles, conducting aptitude tests, and providing information about the WAVES program. By February 1, 1946, she had advanced to the rank of lieutenant.
College women can earn commissions in the WAVES. Most of them qualify as Ensigns. A limited number (as specified by the Act of Congress) can become Lieutenants (Junior Grade) and Lieutenants (Senior Grade). They will draw the same pay and allowances as male Officers of equivalent rank in the Navy. Uniforms for officers will be the same as for the enlisted personnel except for the officers’ hat, gold buttons, white dress shirt, and reserve blue stripes, which designate their rank.
Officers in the WAVES will hold responsible positions. Previous experience in any of many different fields will be a valuable asset to the Officer candidate, but it is not by any means a “must” requirement. In addition to at least two years of college training, the chief qualifications are alertness, energy, integrity, leadership qualities---and the urge to serve your country.
WAVE officer candidates must have a college degree or two years of college work plus at least two years of acceptable business or professional experience; two years of mathematics in high school or college are required. Qualified candidates are indoctrinated either at Smith College, Northampton, Mass. or at Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass. All candidates enter as Apprentice Seamen. They continue in this status for one month and then qualify as Reserve Midshipmen. At this point, a division takes place. Those being trained for general duty must complete a second month of advanced indoctrination. Those selected for special duty enter upon a seven-week course of study in their specialty. Upon completing their respective training, they are commissioned and ordered to duty.
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Lt. (j.g.) Irma Vivian Shields is engaged to marry Lt. Howard Rand Norton, U.S.N.R., son of Mr. Raymond H. Norton and the late Mrs. Norton of this city and "Western Breeze," Rockville, Maryland. Lt. Shields, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John E. Shields of "Sugar Grove" in Chicago, graduated from the University of Illinois and is currently stationed at the Naval Operating Base in Norfolk. Lt. Norton graduated from George Washington University and attended Harvard University's Graduate Business School before receiving his commission in the Navy. After completing his indoctrination course at Dartmouth College, he was stationed at the Naval Operating Base in Norfolk and is now serving with the staff of the Commandant of the Philippine Sea Frontier. The wedding will occur immediately upon Lt. Norton's return to the country.
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The announcement of the recent marriage of Miss Irma V. Shields to Lt. Howard Rand Norton, U.S. N. R., has been made by the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. John E. Shields of Sugar Grove, Ill. Lt. Norton is the son of Mr. Raymond H. Norton and the late Mrs. Norton of Western Breeze, Rockville, Md., and Washington. The ceremony took place in the Sugar Grove Methodist Church, and the bride had Mrs. Ralph E. Bentson and Miss Margaret Bell Norton, the bridegroom's sister, as her attendants. The couple will make their home at 1115 Buchanan Street N.W.
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Howard's family divided their time between Alexandria and their 176-acre equestrian farm, Western Breeze, in Rockville, Maryland. Norton graduated from George Washington University and then attended Harvard University's Graduate Business School before receiving his commission in the Navy. In 1946, Howard joined the family business.
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Irma appeared to fully embrace her life as a wife and mother, giving birth to three children in five years. In the autumn of 1951, the family moved to their new home in the charming neighborhood of Wilton Woods. This area was known for its welcoming, spacious yards and beautiful homes, perfectly fitting their growing family's needs.
Once the children settled into bed on December 23, Irma and Norman gathered at the kitchen table to wrap presents. When Irma turned her attention to the tree, Howard retreated to his home office to handle some work. He went to bed around 10 p.m., leaving Irma to finish the holiday preparations on her own.
Once the children settled into bed on December 23, Irma and Norman gathered at the kitchen table to wrap presents. When Irma turned her attention to the tree, Howard retreated to his home office to handle some work. He went to bed around 10 p.m., leaving Irma to finish the holiday preparations on her own.
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After being jolted awake by his oldest son, Howard expected to find Irma where he had left her but discovered an incoherent note asking him to "Take Good Care of the Children." He rushed to the garage, where he found the family station wagon running and Irma's lifeless body slumped over in the front seat. He pulled her out, laid her on the floor, and tried his best to revive her. It was too late. She was pronounced dead on arrival at Alexander Hospital.
When the police arrived at the residence, the Christmas bells hanging from the front doorknob heralded their presence. Upon entering the family room, they noticed the wrapping paper, gifts, and the unfinished tree; it appeared to the officers that someone had merely stepped away for a moment, perhaps to check on the Christmas cookies baking in the oven. The note allegedly left by Irma, a stark contrast to the festive scene, snapped the officers back to reality and redirected their attention to Howard. However, he had no answers, merely stating that Irma was a devoted mother who had been cheerful the last time he saw her.
When the police arrived at the residence, the Christmas bells hanging from the front doorknob heralded their presence. Upon entering the family room, they noticed the wrapping paper, gifts, and the unfinished tree; it appeared to the officers that someone had merely stepped away for a moment, perhaps to check on the Christmas cookies baking in the oven. The note allegedly left by Irma, a stark contrast to the festive scene, snapped the officers back to reality and redirected their attention to Howard. However, he had no answers, merely stating that Irma was a devoted mother who had been cheerful the last time he saw her.
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Later that same day, Dr. Sims, the coroner of Arlington, issued a suicide certificate stating that the death was apparently caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. However, he noted that police suggested she might have taken some sleeping pills before climbing into the car and starting the engine, making a note on her death certificate: "Excessive Dosage of Barbiturates?" Within 24 hours of Irma's death, her body was cremated.
The following day, the three Norton children celebrated Christmas, unaware that their mother had passed away. "I simply told them she was at the hospital," said their father, Howard Norton.
Local newspapers released the funeral details on December 25. However, they did not mention Irma's military service, and flowers were discouraged. Furthermore, no obituary celebrating her life appeared in any of the Washington area newspapers.
Irma's ashes were interred at Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, DC, on December 27, 1951, ten miles (as the crow flies) from the Norton family plot in Prince George's County, Maryland.
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In early January 1952, as Howard and his three children adjusted to life without Irma, just four miles away in the Del Ray section of Arlington, "The Deacon," as he was known to his music fans, was battling an illness that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, leaving doctors at George Washington Hospital scratching their heads.
Despite their best efforts, Clinton R. Hobbs, known as "The Deacon," 34, who played the clarinet and saxophone with Barnee's Orchestra at the Shoreham Hotel, died on February 15, 1952. The cause of death was undetermined.
Despite their best efforts, Clinton R. Hobbs, known as "The Deacon," 34, who played the clarinet and saxophone with Barnee's Orchestra at the Shoreham Hotel, died on February 15, 1952. The cause of death was undetermined.
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Before joining Barnee's Orchestra, Clinton's personal band, Clinton "Deacon" Hobbs and His Society Band, played on Potomac riverboats and at various clubs across the city. The Deacon introduced a unique sound to the D.C. Club scene—sweet melodies reminiscent of two decades past—drawing in an older, more refined audience.
Clinton Rexford Hobbs was born on December 22, 1918, in Fort Worth, Texas, to Jesse Marshall Hobbs and Lossie Bell Wheeler. He married Marjorie Ruth Redman on August 31, 1940, in Washington, D.C. He was 21, and she was 22.
At the time of his death, they were living with Marjorie's parents at 210 East Del Ray Avenue in Alexandria, along with their ten-year-old son, Clinton Rexford Hobbs Jr. It was widely known that in the months leading up to his passing, Clinton had been planning to leave the music industry, partly due to financial insecurity. Two weeks after his death, fellow musicians organized a benefit concert and donated the proceeds to his widow and child.
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Marjorie Ruth Redman and Howard Rand Norton wed in Alexandria, Virginia, on September 20, 1952. They remained in the Alexandria area with their family of six. They did not have any children together. Twelve years into their marriage, Howard assumed control of the family business.
In 1959, Howard's father sold the family farm, Western Breeze, located in Rockville, Maryland, to Arthur Desser. Desser was connected to Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa and mobster Meyer Lansky. Neighbors claimed it was a not-so-secret secret that the Teamsters owned the farm, and they reported seeing Hoffa at Western Breeze quite frequently throughout the 1960s.
In 1970, Marjorie's son, Clinton Rexford Hobbs Jr., tragically took his own life in North Carolina. Following 22 years of marriage, Marjorie and Howard separated in 1974, with their divorce finalized a year later in 1975.
In 1979, Howard sold the family rendering business to his eldest son and then retired. He later remarried and passed away in Potomac, Maryland, in 1982. He is buried in the Norton family plot located in Prince George's County, Maryland.
In 1959, Howard's father sold the family farm, Western Breeze, located in Rockville, Maryland, to Arthur Desser. Desser was connected to Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa and mobster Meyer Lansky. Neighbors claimed it was a not-so-secret secret that the Teamsters owned the farm, and they reported seeing Hoffa at Western Breeze quite frequently throughout the 1960s.
In 1970, Marjorie's son, Clinton Rexford Hobbs Jr., tragically took his own life in North Carolina. Following 22 years of marriage, Marjorie and Howard separated in 1974, with their divorce finalized a year later in 1975.
In 1979, Howard sold the family rendering business to his eldest son and then retired. He later remarried and passed away in Potomac, Maryland, in 1982. He is buried in the Norton family plot located in Prince George's County, Maryland.
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| Lt. Irma V. Shields |
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| Irma Vivian Shields Norton |
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| Howard Rand Norton II |
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| Times Herald, Jul 01, 1943 ·Page 8 |
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| The Washington Daily News, Oct 20, 1950 ·Page 58 |
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