John Norberg is a writer, author, humorist and a chronicler of the human condition living in Lafayette, Ind. He's also the father of three adult children and has five grandchildren to spoil.He retired in August, 2013 from his positions as a presidential speechwriter and director of development communications at Purdue University. He wrote a humor column for the Lafayette Journal and Courier from 1972-2014. During his time at the Journal and Courier, he also was known for his award-winning news and feature stories, most about residents in the north-central Indiana area. He won more than 50 state and national reporting awards.A nationally respected and award-winning speechwriter as well as a public speaker, he is the author of 7 books, including the story of Jerry Ross, NASA's most frequent flier. "Spacewalker: My Journey Through Space and Faith as NASA's Most Frequent Flyer," published by Purdue Press, includes papers, material and video from Ross that detail his journey from a loving family in rural Indiana to the role he played in establishing the International Space Station. Norberg's latest book "Full Steam Ahead: Purdue Mechanical Engineering Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," also published by Purdue Press.Norberg, who was born April 12, 1948 in Oak Park, IL, grew up on the northside of Chicago in Skokie and Mount Prospect. He graduated from DePauw University in Indiana in 1970 and settled in that state. He started his newspaper career at The Brazil (IN) Daily Times before signing on at the Journal and Courier in 1972. He left the newspaper business in 2000 to become a speechwriter for the president of Purdue University. He continues to write his weekly humor column posted at johnnorberg.com and can be followed on Twitter, @norbergj and on Facebook.Norberg also has written articles for various national publications, including the Saturday Evening Post, the Christian Science Monitor, USA Today and Time magazine. He was most recently honored with the prestigious Purdue University Boilermaker Award for his contributions to the university.Besides his family and writing, Norberg is fond of old movies, sports (Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Bulls, Black Hawks, Purdue Boilermakers), singing in the car, comfortable shoes, travel and ice cream, not necessarily in that order.More at johnnorberg.com