Norm’s first step as a publishing entrepreneur was creating a newsletter for his church in 1955. It folded after two issues, a victim of a World War II military surplus mimeograph. It required more patience and skill than the 12-year-old possessed. He didn’t lose his love of the medium. Sixty-seven years later he can boast knowledge of “WYSIWYG,” using Apple/Macintosh or the current Gateway Windows XP driven computer.
Norman Covert
Aside from a stint in the Newport News Shipyard, Norm has been a reporter, writer, editor, and columnist his entire career. At Newport News High School (Class of ’61) he wrote “Covert’s Corner,” a sports column in “The Beacon.” His style was patterned after the staccato banter of the now defunct New York Mirror, one of Gotham’s storied tabloids. He learned, “Get it first, get it right, get it out!”
He was elevated from copy boy for the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press in 1964 to cub reporter in the Williamsburg Bureau. He was reassigned to the sports staff in the main office after several months. Following his return from active duty with the U. S. Army in 1969, he was appointed military affairs editor covering the multi-service commands in Hampton Roads. He joined U. S. Army Recruiting Command in 1971 as editor of the monthly U. S. Army Recruiting and Career Counseling Journal. He then managed the Service Schools’ Periodicals Program for Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Va. He became chief of public affairs and command historian at Fort Detrick, Frederick, Md. in October 1977, retiring in May 1999.
Norm has written extensively for professional and commercial publications and lectured on the subject of biological warfare and U. S. Military history. He chronicled the origins and growth of the U.S. Biological Warfare program for the Monterey Institute of International Affairs’ Encyclopedia of Bioterrorism Defense, published in June 2005.
Among his books are: Cutting Edge, a history of Fort Detrick (fourth printing); Tree of Life, a 400-year family history; he contributed and helped produce The Covert Family; and several historical commemoratives. He has been a columnist since 2001 for www.thetentacle.com, a news and commentary website published in Frederick, Maryland, and joined www.thecovertletter.com in January 2011.
Norm has appeared as subject matter expert in commercial and public broadcasting multi-media productions. He is active in fraternal, civic, youth and patriotic organizations including: Rotary International, Boy Scouts of America (BSA), Society of the 40/8, The American Legion, 29th Division Association, Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) and National Rifle Association (NRA).
He has completed numerous professional education courses and seminars. He attended Christopher Newport College, Newport News and in 1980 completed the professional development curriculum at the Graduate School of Journalism, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
