Alan C Morris

ALAN MORRIS ALAN CALVIN MORRIS, PhD, passed away in his Salt Lake City home on November 28, 2010, surrounded by his loving family and many dear friends. Alan was born on September 21, 1953, in Dallas, Texas, to Joseph Earl (JoEarl) Morris and Martha Cunningham Morris. When Alan was three years old, his family moved to Caracas, Venezuela, where he attended Campo Alegre School and enjoyed traveling to nearby Caribbean islands and hiking in the Andes. In 1965, his family returned to Dallas, where Alan competed in Arabian equestrian events throughout his middle and high school years and performed in high school theater productions. He graduated from W. T. White High School in 1971. Alan received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and his PhD in cardio-patho physiology (the study of the functioning of the heart) from Texas A&M University in 1986. He then held a post-doctoral fellowship at Southwest Medical School in Dallas, for one year. After moving to Baltimore, he became Director of the Electron Microscopy Laboratory at the University of Maryland, where he also taught Histology. Since coming to Utah in 1992, Alan has applied his expertise in electronic imaging to color measuring and analysis, developing patents and software under the name Clearmatch for use in the cosmetic dentistry industry. His product helps dentists and dental laboratories achieve a more perfect match of enamel color for prosthetic dentistry. While a graduate student at Texas A&M, he had the great fortune of sharing an office with Julie Roberts, his future wife and the mother of his two children. Hannah Grace Morris, age 13, and Samuel Joseph Morris, age 11, are students at Rowland Hall School. As outdoor enthusiasts, Alan and Julie chose Salt Lake City as the place to make a life together. Here they have shared many outdoor activities as a family, including hiking, biking, skiing, camping, and fly-fishing. Alan also enjoyed golfing and shooting sports with his son and friends. Alan was a loving and deeply caring husband and father. He always put his family first, scheduling his work around Hannah’s and Sam’s school and extracurricular activities. He coached Sam’s recreational soccer team for five years. He loved nothing more than to ski with Sam at Alta, watch Hannah and Julie ride their horses at Vista Farms, and walk his dogs to the Lindsey Gardens Park. Alan was a lover of great food, wine, literature, art, a good joke, and a stirring debate. He survived as a liberal in a conservative state. He was active in vestry service at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and was deeply committed to his beloved community of friends. Alan is preceded in death by his father and is survived by Julie, Hannah, Sam, his mother, his brother Brad, a large extended family, and many loving friends. A Memorial Eucharist service in Alan’s memory will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 261 South 900 East, Salt Lake City, Utah at 12:30 pm on Wednesday, December 1, 2010. A Graveside Service will be held earlier at 11:00 am, at Lakeview Memorial Cemetery, 1640 East Lakeview Drive, Bountiful, Utah. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the American Lung Society in Alan’s memory are welcome. (1930 South 1100 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84106; www.lungutah.org) www.memorialutah.com