Gershon Richard Kwasi Norgbey, the celebrated educationist was born at Ziavi Dzogbe in the then German Togoland on the 15th of July, 1917. During the 1960s and 1970s, he championed the cause of education in the Volta Region and in Ghana as a whole. This to a very large extent resulted in a boom of educational development in the Volta Region during those early years after Ghana’s independence.
The sixth of ten (10) children born to Togbe Norgbey Nani of the royal clan of Tsadaviefe, Ziavi and Sarah Abra Anku of Anaviefe also in Ziavi, he was named Kwasi for being born on a Sunday. He was christened and baptised Gershon to follow the tradition of Hebro-Germanic names his father gave the older boys; Gotthold and Erasmus. Gershon himself added Richard when he had Eucharistic Confirmation in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in his youth. Though Gershon Norgbey kept his two European names, he departed from this tradition by giving all his children only indigenous EWE names . Gershon Norgbey spent his early childhood, like most children of his generation, with his parents in Ziavi.
His father Norgbey Nani was a well travelled man and had farms in the Ahamansu forest regions of the Trans-Volta Togoland, a part of which is now the Volta Region of Ghana. He was an enlightened man and though he did not have formal education, he spoke some little German and played the accordion with which he entertained his family and friends in the evening after farm work.
His mother Anku-Bra, as she was popularly known in Ziavi, was a tall beautiful woman with a lot of vim and vigour. She was the only wife of Norgbey Nani and all his ten children were born by her. She helped her husband on his farms but her main preoccupation was to take care of the house and children. Five of the children who survived to adulthood were male: Gotthold, Erasmus, Gershon Richard, Emmanuel Krakani and Philemon Atta-Kuma. All these men were highly talented and carved niches for themselves quite early in life. Gotthold was a traditionalist and a musician composer. Erasmus was a community developer, tailor and award winning farmer. Gershon Richard was a distinguished educator. Krakani was a powerful preacher, healer, farmer and carpenter. Philemon Atta-Kuma had a remarkable career as a Health Superintendent and fathered many. Tasii (Aunt) Akua or Reuben-nor was the eldest of all Mama Anku-Bra’s children. Amelia also known as Yao-nor was a bright, intelligent and active woman; she was an affluent trader. She was a cementing element in a family of energetic and strong willed men. Victoria was cool and exuded love and peace.
