Obituary of Norman G. Altman

Norman G. Altman, 97, beloved father of Nancy Pappas (Manchester) and Joan Altman (Brooklyn) passed away on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Known affectionately in the family as ‘Gee’, Norman will be deeply missed by his loving family.

Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of Martin and Belle (Olshan) Altman, who operated several retail businesses in the city. His mother’s success as owner of a large beauty salon helped to form Norm’s positive attitude about strong career women, which he conveyed often to his daughters and granddaughters.

Norman met his wife, Miriam (Miki) Karmel, when he was 16 and she was 15. They loved to dance and knew all of the popular steps from the 1940s right up through the 1970s. Sixty years later Norm could still tick off the many famous bands they had heard at the clubs and pavilions near Philadelphia. After Pearl Harbor Norm enlisted in the US Army, training at several bases in the Midwest. He married Miki on a three-day leave and they returned to a base in Arkansas for several months before he deployed to France. They enjoyed 61 years of marriage, sharing a passion for gourmet cooking, theater and dance, gymnastics and ice skating, until Miki died in April 2005.   

Although he had been a top student in high school, Norman didn’t consider himself to be “college material” until the GI Bill encouraged all returning veterans to consider a university education. He chose Harvard University because it permitted him to accelerate his coursework. Norm finished two engineering degrees inside of three years, and the couple moved back to Philadelphia to begin what they called their “real life” of career and family.

Norm worked for technical firms in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut, building his expertise in electronics and optical physics.  He created and patented a number of side projects – including a device that made a toy dance when it “heard” music, an amusement park ride that simulated a rocket launch, and a means of compressing speech to speed up audible books for the blind.

But the centerpiece of his career was establishing Altman Associates of Stamford CT, a lab that provided highly-specialized optical/digital equipment to government and the aerospace industry. With Miki as his business partner, Norm and his staff worked at the intersection of optical input and data read-outs. Most notably, he invented a key element for the cameras on the NASA lunar orbiter, which mapped the surface of the moon in 1966-67. Norm’s innovation allowed the images to be completely clear, even though the orbiter was hurtling through space. He was also an early developer of optical security measures including an iris scanner and a palm reader.

Although he worked very long hours, family life was central to Norm. He patiently read aloud to his daughters; taught them and their friends to ice skate; shared his love of dance, gymnastics and theater; and encouraged their musical interests. His homework help was generous and patient, but notorious: You learned not to ask a question if there wasn’t time for a long and detailed answer. As adults, his daughters could count on his interest and support in all matters, as well as the muscle-power needed for home improvement tasks.

In later life Norm took great delight in his two grandchildren, Rebecca and Sarah. He and Miki (known as “Gee and Nonny”) were devoted grandparents who screened videos, played games, built doll furnishings, attended all of their performances, showed curiosity about their school work, and supported them as they made challenging decisions. Great grandson Asa was a bonus for Norm, who broke out in huge smiles when people asked about him. Most recently, Gee had “met” his new great granddaughter Miriam over FaceTime.    

 Norman will be fondly remembered by his daughter, Nancy Pappas, and her husband Ted of Manchester; his daughter, Joan Altman, of Brooklyn; his granddaughter Rebecca Pappas and her partner Matthew Tomas of East Hampton; his granddaughter, Sarah Pappas and her husband Josh Berkow of Detroit, and their children Asa and Miriam; and his sister-in-law Annemarie Altman of Sharon, MA.  He was pre-deceased by his wife, Miriam and his brother Marc.

The family would like to thank the staff at Salmon Brook Center in Glastonbury for their affectionate and attentive care for nearly 15 years. There are too many names to mention specifically – but you know who you are! Memorial donations may be made in Norman’s honor to the Resident  Council Fund at Salmon Brook, 72 Salmon Brook Parkway, Glastonbury CT. Alternately, to honor his love of the arts please consider donating to artistrelief.org, which is providing grants and information to artists facing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19. Other inquiries can be made to Tierney Funeral Home, Manchester.