Son of Joseph Norwood (1851-1908) and Alma Penn (1858-1945), missionaries for the American Bible Society in Mexico, the Caribbean and South America from the early 1880s through 1900s. Robert was born in Antioquia, Colombia, on March 28, 1900, one of several children adopted while on the mission field by the Norwoods. In 1905 his father ran a Methodist mission and gymnasium for Cuban cigarmakers in Ybor City. At the time of his death in 1908, Reverend Norwood served as superintendent of Tampa schools. Mrs. Norwood, Robert, and Marvin, an older brother, remained in Tampa at least through 1912. At the time of his enlistment in the U.S. Coast Guard five years later, he appears to have been living in Texas, where his mother was from. Yet Tampans remembered Robert Norwood as the son of the beloved Reverend Norwood and a former resident, and included his name on the West Coast Memorial Highway Monuments when they were dedicated in 1921. (Veterans Administration Master Index; Tampa Tribune 1/4/1908 p. 1)
