Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Special Publications Series.Upon my arrival to AFGL in the autumn of 1988, I found in my office some of Haskell's old papers annotated with his own handwriting. I started to look for more in the neighboring offices and finally came across a box of letters and notes in the Research Library. When I showed this material to Don Eckhardt, his immediate reaction was: "Why don't you edit a Haskell memorial volume?". I soon discovered that this undertaking would not be easy. I had met Norman a few times during SSA and AGU meetings in the sixties, but apart from these brief, professional encounters, I knew little about him. The old timers at AFGL, few as they were, could cover only narrow aspects of his life and career. Eighteen years may have no significance on the geological time scale, but it suffices to erase many traces of a man's material existence. Read Less