Norman Houston OBE

From the aluminium bungalows at Craigy Hill to Buckingham Palace with a detour to the White House in Washington, D.C. might seem an odd journey for a former Larne High School pupil.  But that's exactly what Norman Houston OBE did during a career which started in the NI Civil Service and ended up in the capitol of the most powerful country in the world.  Norman is pictured at Buckingham Palace after he was awarded an OBE from the Prince of Wales which recognised his long career representing NI in the United States.  Norman is NI's senior diplomatic representative to US. He's been posted there twice and he's met four presidents starting with Bill Clinton, then George W. Bush, followed by Barak Obama and, most recently, Donald Trump. Norman has very fond memories of studying at Greenland (as it was then). "I was very happy there and I felt a real sense that the teachers wanted you to succeed and give you confidence.  My love of History and French was instilled in me by the late Archie Reid and Nina Lamont who were inspirational teachers.  It's very unusual for someone from my background to end up in a job like this but hard word and being driven to succeed makes all the difference."