Norman L. Asper was born in South Bend, Indiana where he grew up in a musical family, his father was a trumpet player and taught him the instrument at age 5. His father, Frank Asper, was the owner of a grocery store and his mother Doris, a homemaker. While working at the store Norm learned many skills including those of a butcher. He played the trumpet in both grade and high school and had earned his guild card by age Norm made frequent appearances with the South Bend Symphony as trumpet player.
After high school he attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana studying classical music. He also spent many nights playing at the Stardust in Bloomington. During this time, he met a trombonist who shared with Dr. Asper how to keep his mind and playing in sync and how to never lose his place in the tune so that he would not go completely awry.
With this new appreciation, he entered the Air Force and was a trumpet player with the Air Force Jazz band. While earning his master's degree Dr. Asper worked as a Industrial Arts and Technology high school teacher in Elwood, Indiana so that his first wife Dean could finish her Bachelor's degree.
After finishing their degrees they returned to Florida and Dr. All that time Dr. Asper had continued playing trumpet and drums with various bands. He also worked as a Manufacturing Engineer conducting mechanical design analysis for the Altar Project, a deep space penetration radio telescope at Radiation Corporation.
In , together the Aspers decided to move up academically to teach at a higher level. After searching for doctoral programs, Dr. In , Dr. Asper has loved fishing since a child, and fulfilled his lifelong dream of having a lake cabin. He spent many summers fly fishing every day as well as teaching nieces and nephews how to fish and clean their catch. His second love was anything of mechanical nature, having taken apart his first christmas bicycle at age 6 to the chagrin of his mother he put it back together and rode that bicycle for years.
