Normn Bernauer
Norman L. Bernauer was born April 19, 1926 to Leo N. Bernauer & Frieda D. Allmendinger-Bernauer. He came from a German working-class family in Pittsburgh, PA.
A veteran of WWII, he spent from September of 1944 to August of 1946 in the service of his country. In February of 1945, he was sent to the Pacific, being based on Saipan. He was assigned to the 811th Military Police Battalion where he was trained, first in traffic control and in a few of months, was promoted to sergeant and was placed in charge of the accident investigation squad. He only spent one month in that position, when he was asked to take on the investigation of a shooting, since all of the Criminal Investigation Agents were tied with heavy case loads. As a result of this investigation, he was transferred to the 39th Criminal Investigation Section. When eligible for discharge in August of 1946, he was the Senior Agent of the Section. When returned to the states, he was given a reserve commission of 2nd Lt. with an MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) of Criminal Investigation.
Norman Bernauer received an AA degree from Graceland College (now University) in Lamoni, IA and a BA Degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in Speech with emphasis on Radio. While at the University of Wisconsin, he began a career as a radio DJ at a small local radio station. Developing an interest in Television, he continued his education at the School of Radio and Television Technique in New York City, studying Television Production under such luminaries as Thomas Hutchings, the first head of NBC Television and Gilbert Seldes, who headed CBS TV at its inception and who had written the first definitive book on TV Production.
Bernauer worked for 16 years as a television producer/director, first for one short contract period with the Ford Foundation at WOI-TV in Ames, Iowa and then with WDAF-TV Channel 4 in Kansas City, Missouri. During that time, he wrote, produced and directed over 50 TV documentaries.
Making a career change, Bernauer became a partner in the Raveill-Farley advertising agency which later became Everett, Brandt & Bernauer, Inc. He wrote many press releases, brochures, radio and television commercials and literally hundreds of newsletters. He was published in several trade publications with information both about the agency and it’s clients. His named appeared for many of those years in three different publications of “Who’s Who.” Upon leaving the agency after 25 years, he retained several accounts and opened his own one-man agency, which he currently operates out of his home. Now, in semi-retirement, he has turned his hand to writing.
Norman has always had a passion for flying and earned his private pilot’s license in 1964. Since then, he has logged almost 2,000 hours in light planes.
For his church, the Community of Christ, he has served as Presiding Elder (Pastor) of three different congregations. He was ordained a High Priest in 1954. Bernauer served for 36 years as a member of the Stake High Council, the judicial and advisory council of the church’s Kansas City Stake.
He served as the Executive Secretary & treasurer for the John Whitmer Historical Association for six years.
He served as the Chairman of the Executive Council for Camp MITIOG. (Made in the Image of God) for a number of years. MITIOG is a camp for children born with Spina Bifida, a birth defect that leaves the spinal column open and the child is usually paraplegic from the waist down. During that time he was also the fund-raiser for that organization, raising over $600,000.00.
Bernauer is the Chairman of the Executive Council of the Clarence A. Clark Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Norman was married to Barbara J. Hands in 1953. Barbara currently works as Assistant Archivist in the Community of Christ Archives. Barbara has presented several papers and has had papers and a book published on Mormon History. They have two children. Allise J. Bernauer Garrison is married to Andrew Garrison, the owner of a theatrical school in Kansas City. She works for a reassurance company as an officer. Richard M. Bernauer is the owner of CyTech, a computer company devoted to installing and maintaining computer networks for legal firms. He is married to Carrie Layton Bernauer, a member of middle management at Hallmark Cards. They have two children, Clara, and Elsa.
