Rick Norris was born and raised in a small town in Winnebago County. Although he was away for several decades, he never lost touch with the community and area in which he grew up. A single father, he recently moved back to his hometown of Pecatonica.
At the University of Illinois, he majored in Political Science with a minor in History, focusing on Europe and the Middle East. As a midshipman in the Naval ROTC program there, he also studied calculus, physics, chemistry, and naval science courses.
After nine years active duty as a Naval Flight Officer, Rick left the Navy to pursue an airline career and now flies for a major airline. During his time away from Illinois, he lived on the Gulf Coast, the Pacific Northwest, the Northeast, and Colorado.
Rick speaks fluent German and has spent more than two years visiting there. He also has visited many countries in Europe and Eastern Asia, as well as a few in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.