Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Georgia) 1941-2007

Sad news out of Georgia....Rep. Charlie Norwood lost his battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (a form of lung cancer) at the age of 65. Norwood, a Republican, has represented Northern Georgia in the House of Representatives since 1995.

Norwood was born in Valdosta, Georgia in 1941. He was a football star in high school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Norwood received a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro in 1964, and a Doctorate in Dental Surgery from Georgetown University Dental School in Washington, D.C. He was a dentist in the US Army during the Vietnam War, where he also served in combat. He later served as a dentist in Augusta, Georgia before his election to Congress in 1994.

Norwood represented the 10th district of Georgia, located in the Northeastern part of the state, including most of the state's upper border with South Carolina and it's small border with North Carolina. His district included part of his hometown of Augusta, as well as Athens and Toccoa.

Norwood fell ill with IDF in 1998. In October, 2004, he underwent a partial lung transplant in Virginia. He was successfully treated for non-small cell lung cancer in November 2005, a side effect of his lung transplant medication. The cancer spread to his liver in November, 2006.

He was reelected in November with 68% of the vote and underwent chemotherapy in December. He returned to the 110th Congress for a short time in early January, before being forced to take a leave due to his weakness from the chemo. President Bush publicly wished him well at the State of the Union address, from which he was absent.

On February 7th, he went home to Georgia to receive hospice-care. On February 13th, 2007, at 2:02pm, Congressman Norwood died at his home in Augusta. Congressman Norwood is survived by his wife Gloria, sons Charles and Carlton Norwood, and four grandchildren, all of Augusta.

His seat was declared vacant. Governor Sonny Perdue will call a special election for the seat soon.