Bright was the son of a school principal and a teacher. Born in
Mossyrock, Washington, he was one of eleven children. Bright's mother reportedly rubbed
olive oil into his legs as an infant when she was told by a doctor that her son was not "moving and working his muscles enough". Bright attended
Western Washington University where he earned a teaching degree,
Stanford University where he earned a
bachelor's degree, and
Miami University where he earned a
master's degree in counseling. In 1945, Bright married Franca Fiorentino whom he had met in
New York City. The couple had one daughter (Juliana), and later divorced. Bright moved to
Seattle in 1966 and worked for the
Seattle School District as a
psychologist. He was the winner of the 1937
Bay to Breakers, setting the course record as the first man to run under 40 minutes. That same year, he set a course record of 47:22 at the
Dipsea Race, but finished second due to the impairing nature of the event. Thirty-three years later in 1970, he won the event. The Norman Bright Award is given for "Extraordinary Effort in the Dipsea". In the mid-1960s, Bright began to slowly lose his eyesight due to atrophy of the optic nerves. In 1978, he was struck by a bus, breaking numerous bones; his vision faded rapidly after that. He needed a "guide," to keep him on course. Rules have been developed to ensure blind athletes do not gain an advantage when led in a race. In 1975 he set the M65 World record over 800 m and 1500 m distances while winning at the first
Association of Veteran Athletes (WAVA) World Championships in
Toronto,
Ontario, Canada. He was the first 65-year-old under 5 minutes in the 1500 m. He also won the
steeplechase at the same meet. In 1976 he ran the
Bay to Breakers with the guide (39 years after his victory in the event). Bright was also a mountaineer reported to have climbed every major peak in the United States. Bright died in Seattle due to complications from pneumonia and cancer. ==References==