Nora Jason: 1936-2012
Of Gaithersburg, MD, retired director of Fire Research Information Services at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, passed away on January 23, 2012 as the result of complications from a perforated gastric ulcer. Ms. Jason was born in Schenectady, NY, and received both her bachelor's and master's degrees from the State University of New York at Albany. In addition to NIST, where she produced over 80 publications in the fire research and information fields, her professional positions included serving as librarian for the U.S. Army Special Services in Germany and as a cataloger for the State University of California at Sacramento. She twice received the Bronze Medal from the U.S. Department of Commerce and was presented the Society of Fire Protection Engineers Director's Award. Ms. Jason was a founding member and first chair of inFire, an international society of fire information professionals, and was active in the Special Libraries Association, the National Organization for Women, and the American Association of University Women, and also volunteered at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Marion and Stanley Jason, and brother Bradford Jason. She is survived by her brother, Richard Jason and wife, Christine, of Otto, NC; niece Tamara Strauser and husband Anthony and great nephew Jackson and great niece Eva of Plano, TX; and cousins Walter Richards and wife Roslyn of Burnt Hills, NY, Dennis Zay of Ormond Beach, FL, and Paul Topka of Scotia, NY. Interment in Scotia will be private. A memorial celebration of her life will be held in the Glenview Mansion at the Rockville Civic Center, Rockville, MD, on Wednesday, March 14, beginning at 7 p.m. Contributions in memory of Ms. Jason may be made to the Montgomery County Humane Society, Inc., 14645 Rothgeb Drive, Rockville, MD 20850 or Maryland Public Television, 11767 Owings Mills Blvd., Owings Mills, MD 21117.
Published in The Washington Post on February 26, 2012