Norton E. Salk Scholarship Fund

“Nortonisms” is the term Linda Heckman coined to describe characteristics of her late father, Norton E. Salk. “He was quick to offer advice and was an endless source of valuable information. He said, ‘You won’t know everything. Knowledge is knowing where to look for it.’”

Her brother, Howard Salk, continues, “Dad was always looking forward to what tomorrow would bring. He always said, ‘Never, ever regret what you’ve done. Only regret what you haven’t done.”

Norton Salk was a doer throughout his lifetime. A lifelong Rhode Island resident, he graduated from Classical High School, attended Brown University for one year, joined the U.S. Army Corps, and served in the Corps of Engineers. While in the Corps, he spent time in Italy and developed a great admiration of and passion for classical architecture. It led, following his return to the states and graduation from the University of Michigan, to a 55-year career as an architect.

Mr. Salk designed schools, nursing homes, shopping centers, office buildings, and private residences, including the A.T. Cross Headquarters, Southern New England School of Law, Western Hills Middle School, and a wing of the Rhode Island Veterans’ Home. The last five years of his practice were devoted primarily to pro bono work, including design of the Jewish War Veterans’ Memorial and consulting to Sophia Academy.

His children note that Mr. Salk also shared his enthusiasm for the profession by devoting time to professional organizations, including serving as president of the Rhode Island chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute, and by mentoring architectural students, including his daughter.

“I remember visiting projects and seeing his work. I was in awe,” she shares, noting that she especially enjoyed working with him. “When faced with a challenging project, my father said to me, ‘Design is a problem waiting to be solved.’”

Norton Salk will continue to nurture architecture students through this scholarship fund, designated for the AIA Rhode Island Architectural Forum and to be used to assist students majoring in architecture at accredited Rhode Island schools.

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