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Norma Goodridge Furman
Norma, born in the east Bronx NYC in 1935 now lives in an Off-The-Grid solar powered home in the Arizona desert wilderness. Living over her East European immigrant family’s kosher butcher store on ...view moreNorma, born in the east Bronx NYC in 1935 now lives in an Off-The-Grid solar powered home in the Arizona desert wilderness. Living over her East European immigrant family’s kosher butcher store on a busy city street she was recognized for her artistic talent at an early age. She attended the Museum of Modern Art and New York University classes for gifted children. She graduated from the High School of Music & Art in 1952 at 16 and earned a scholarship to the Cooper Union for Advancement of Science and Art.
The same weekend as graduation she married a fellow graduate and moved to Long Island. She gave birth to a daughter, and prematurely born mentally ill son. While taking diet pills, heavily drinking and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day she participated in the scouts and politics, won art awards and sold her artwork locally. After a flirtation with the lesbian lifestyle and in an attempt to have an “open marriage” she risked heterosexual and bisexual “swinging” and did Erotic Art.
In 1970 with her children, she moved to Manhattan and started a mobile disco business, Disco Van 2000. With her partner Stásh she produced disco events for politicians (Ed Koch and Bella Abzug) and celebrities (Kiss, Michael Jackson, Henry Winkler and Clive Davis) and was a featured speaker at the Disco Convention.
By 1980, too many licit and illicit drugs led her to leave NYC with Stásh, heading west in a 35’motorhome. Learning to shoot black powder and drink moonshine with “white supremacists”, they won national awards in black powder target shooting and she was named the “Soulcatcher” when she produced 100’s of commissioned authentic charcoal portraits of costumed participants.
In 1986 they enrolled in Arizona State University's Department of Physical Education and Exercise Science. Taking every course from Fitness 101 to Grad level Exercise Biochemistry, the secret they learned was “If you use it you won't lose it”. She stopped smoking and drinking and graduated cum laude in 1988 . They became exercise designers and teachers of Walkaerobics and personal trainers. In the 1990s they produced Videos, DVDs, CDs and a book which won the IRSA/Keiser International Award and the PCPF Award. (see http://www.refityourself.org/ )They taught classes in colleges, corporations, churches, clubs, and community events. They lectured as paid speakers throughout the states and Canada all the while coming home to their GREEN solar powered "off the grid" home they built in the primitive Arizona desert.
Bad news came in the year 2000. Stash was ill. Norma sustained the Refit Yourself programs alone. While Stásh, using their principles, healed. Now at age 79 and in good health in their solar powered studio they do Personal training, Norma gives private art lessons, has written this memoir and they are planning a 3D educational Fitness Short/video The Spudzville Saga starring the cartoon characters Norma has sculpted. (see http://www.desertdrawings.com/)view less