By Karen D. Lorentz
On a sunny Aug. 5, family, friends, and former colleagues of Norma Biathrow gathered at the Killington Grand Hotel to celebrate the life of a mother, grandmother, great grandma, sibling, friend, early Killington pioneer, and dedicated state police dispatcher on what would have been her 87th birthday.
As family and friends paid tribute to “a life well lived,” there were chuckles and laughter as stories were told of Norma’s accomplishments and loves, of which there were many. Her love of family, travel, driving her white Lincoln Town Car with the 911 license plate, and work lives were legendary as she made a difference in her community.
Norma T. Biathrow was born and raised in Sherburne. Her father, Howard Towne, had a construction and heavy equipment business, and at the ripe age of 15, Norma drove a stick-shift dump truck up Sherburne Pass, grandson Andrew Wiles related.
In 1954, Norma married Royal Biathrow, who became Killington’s first employee, carving trails and installing lifts with founder Pres Smith. Knowing the type of work Royal did on the mountain, she said in earlier interviews that Royal often had nightmares when working on particularly difficult or steep terrain, adding, “I knew better than to ask about them. I knew how dangerous the work could be.”
Norma stayed at home for a few years caring for their young children and then joined the ski area beginning with the 1962–63 season, a time when Killington had a growing public relations department. She became supervisor of the mailroom and information services, which “entailed a little bit of everything from overseeing the switchboard to snow calls.” Explaining that she felt “a part of a team effort and connected to the area’s growth and success,” Norma had added, “You could see the results .. We had a larger inquiry tally each year and we could see more skiers each year. We felt part of that.”
She also had recalled the genesis of job sharing, noting that “everyone helped out wherever needed. It was like a family operation.”
“Norma was a Killington icon,” recalled a former early Killington worker and retired city policeman, Rick Fitzsimmons, in another conversation.
Norma left Killington in 1976 to become a dispatcher with the State Police in Rutland. Retired State Police Lieutenant Chuck Cacciatore said, “She made a difference and the world is a better place because of her.”
He also noted a Facebook tribute where she was referred to as a “mom to troopers who came up in the 1980s and 90s.” Her dispatcher calls told a trooper where to go, what route to take—the fastest to get there— what to do, and other information that would enable the job to get done. Noting her authoritative professionalism drew an appreciative chuckle from those who knew she always got the job done.
Commenting on the roles she played in many lives, Cacciatore also noted that “as long as the stories are told, her spirit lives on and will from generation to generation.
Among the items on display illustrating that was a special Commendation from the State of Vermont Department of Public Safety Division of the State Police. The Commander’s Citation honored her for “Maintaining a high degree of professionalism during a vehicle chase that subsequently resulted in the arrest of a murder suspect on 17 March 1990.”
On the occasion of her retirement, she also received a plaque thanking her for 22 years of service. It noted, “It takes a Special Person to perform the duties of a dispatcher in a professional and caring manner. You did it for 22 years, Thank you.”
An American flag that was flown over the United States Capitol on August 28, 1998, at the request of the United States Senator James M. Jeffords, was also presented to her when she retired.
It wasn’t just her colleagues at Killington or at the State Police who became extended family for Norma. In a loving tribute daughter Nancy Wiles noted that in addition to her family and many friends, Norma “had a lot of adopted children,” noting ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ and that that was one of her Mother’s many gifts that made a difference.
Nancy’s son Andrew also noted that caring for others included the many animals his grandfather would bring home, adding that his grandmother allowed her husband to be in charge, “but in reality she was.”
That loving care was reciprocated when friends and neighbors enabled Norma to stay at home as long as possible.
In noting their kindness, Nancy thanked them along with the “wonderful care” she received by so many at The Pines where she spent her final days.
In a timely homily, son-in-law William Wiles spoke of Norma and Royal driving in a torrential downpour. As they passed by various constables and state police assisting roadside situations, Norma would ask should I stop and Royal would say “keep going, you’ll drive out of it.”
When they had made it through, he told her to pull over, wherein he noted, those in need had been given help, saying “they’ll be fine.”
Wiles concluded, “She’s with Royal. Life goes on, but we’ll all be fine. Happy Birthday Norma.”
