Hugh MORRIS

MORRIS, Hugh Clough
June 24, 1932 - December 23, 2012
Hugh Clough Morris – beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather, husband, geologist, business leader, and friend of the sciences - was born in Rangoon, Burma, to Violet (née Reynolds) and Thomas Owen Morris. As a boy, living in Wales, he loved reading, travel, music, sport and sailing, past-times that remained dear to him throughout his life. He was admired and respected by all who knew him - for his integrity and for his love of family. Educated at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa, Hugh came to North America on a geology scholarship from the South African Chamber of Mines. Over the years, he worked for Cominco, Geomex/E&B Metals, Imperial Metals and Eldorado Gold, achieving renown as an innovator of exploration and a visionary businessman. He served on numerous boards as a director and Chairman, and in 1989, represented British Columbia at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Hugh was a life-long friend of the sciences in Canada. In addition to his memberships in the Geological Association of Canada (GAC), and numerous other scientific societies, he served for seventeen years as a member of the Canadian Geological Foundation, a charitable foundation promoting earth science-related activities. For his extraordinary service to the GAC, Hugh was honored with the Ambrose J. Willis Medal in 1993. He became a 'Distinguished Fellow' of the GAC in 1995, and a member of the Royal Society of Canada in 1997. Hugh's contributions to the sciences encompassed service on several committees for the National Research Council of Canada and the National Research Council of the United States. He chaired both 'Lithoprobe', a major seismic research project on the earth's crust, and the Canada Global Change Program, a joint initiative of the Royal Society of Canada and Environment Canada devoted to the study and mitigation of climate change. In addition, he was Chairman of the Pacific Institute of Mathematical Sciences (PIMS), and Chair of the Board of the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS), a Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence.
Following the death of Pat, his beloved wife of 47 years, Hugh established the Kimberley Foundation, devoted to the promotion of education and the geosciences. In 2011, he endowed the lecture series in mathematical sciences that now bears his name, through PIMS and the University of British Columbia. In addition, he was an enthusiastic patron of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Hugh Morris is survived and lovingly remembered for his kindness, gentleness, generosity, and wisdom by his second wife, Joan (whom he married in 2006), his daughters, Katherine, Rosalind and Susan, and their spouses (Andrew Hill, Yvette Christiansë and David Roppel), five grandchildren, and eight great- grandchildren, his mother-in-law (Pat's mother), Gunda Lien, and his step-children, Bruce and Ann MacDonald.
A Funeral Service will be held at Tsawwassen United Church, 693 53 Street, Delta, BC, on Saturday, December 29 at 2:00 p.m. (reception to follow at the Coast Hotel, at 1665 56 St, Delta). A Memorial event will also be held in the New Year. In lieu of flowers, donations in Hugh's name may be made to the Palliative Ward of Vancouver General Hospital through the following website:
http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID =3562381&LangPref=en-CA.
Delta Funeral Home (604) 946-6040.