Introduction
Delf Norona (April 14, 1895 – April 12, 1974) of West Virginia, was a student of philately who wrote on subjects of postal history, including postal history of the state of West Virginia.
Philatelic activity
Norona was very active in stamp collecting in the Ohio Valley area of West Virginia, founding the Ohio Valley Stamp Club in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1935. He was a student of postal history of the United States and especially West Virginia. Because of his interest in West Virginia postal history, he worked with West Virginia historical societies, such as the West Virginia Historical Society, the West Virginia Archeological Society, and the West Virginia Civil War Centennial Commission.
Philatelic literature
At the American Philatelic Congress Norona presented his paper Preparation of Technical Philatelic Articles at the first meeting of the society in December 1935. In 1933 he edited the first volume of Cyclopedia of United States Postmarks and Postal History, and in 1935 he edited the second volume of the series. Norona wrote numerous articles on various aspects of United States postal history, and, in 1935, he published his General Catalogue of United States Postmarks.
Honors and awards
Norona was named to the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame in 1975 .