St. Charles icon has close call, but lives to tell about it

Fred Norris had always thought of himself as being in excellent shape.

Since retiring from 20 years as the mayor of St. Charles in 1997, Norris, 72, has busied himself with various volunteer activities. Indeed, less than 24 hours before he started experiencing what he thought was vertigo, he'd been at a St. Charles Park District event. The next day, last Saturday, St. Charles nearly lost one of its icons.

After a day of being unusually tired he also began to feel dizzy and nauseated. And then, after an attempt to take some fresh air, Norris collapsed. His wife, Eva, quickly called for help.

"She's my guardian angel," Norris said. "I was out of it, but the paramedics got there in time and revived me."

A trip to the hospital revealed a major arterial blockage requiring bypass and a pacemaker.

By Thursday, Norris was out again, keeping pace with events in St. Charles just as he always has.

"I was just in the right place, at the right time, with the right people around me," Norris said.

Perhaps most troubling is that Norris finds himself under strict doctor's orders not to take a full golf swing for 30 days.

"My prognosis is excellent, and I'm just delighted. I'm a little sore, but I'd rather be sore than the alternative."