President Barack Obama along with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon were among the dignitaries giving commencement speeches to the 428 members of the Joplin High School Class of 2012. While in Joplin, President Obama asked for a private visit with the family of Will Norton.
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As you remember, Will Norton, 18, died tragically while driving home from his own high school graduation on May 22 about a year ago. Will’s father was in the vehicle beside him when they drove into the path of an EF5 tornado. The devastating storm killed 161 people, injured hundreds more and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in Joplin.
Will’s mother Trish Norton is the sister of Carol Weaver of Gallatin. The Norton’s have a daughter, Sara.
Norton, who had his pilot’s license, was headed to film school at the prestigious Chapman University in California the fall after his graduation. Norton was something of a YouTube sensation, with upwards of two million subscribers on his channel ‘WillDaBeast’ at YouTube.com/will.
As an interesting side note to this story, Don Weaver said a $50,000 life insurance policy for Will has been donated by the family to the Joplin Rotary Club toward a fund to build a handicap athletic field in Joplin in Will’s memory. The field will be made out of specially designed rubber turf.
The Will Norton Memorial Miracle Field will cost around $530,000. Already, $358,000 has been donated from Joplin Rotary, and another $150,000 has been donated by Keller Williams Realty, KW Cares.
Weaver said he didn’t think the remaining funds would be difficult to raise in Joplin which has remembered the popular teen through Facebook, a YouTube channel (he is known as Willdabeast) and a Twitter page.