Dr. W. Kenneth Morgan Sr.

Due to possible adverse weather conditions, the family has made arrangements to livestream using Trinity's Facebook and YouTube pages. We will start 10 minutes prior to 2:00PM. The links can be accessed below: https://www.facebook.com/trinityjaxnc/ https://www.youtube.com/@trinitymethodistjacksonvillenc
JACKSONVILLE - Dr. William Kenneth Morgan, Sr. passed away on Tuesday, January 7, 2025.
Funeral services for Dr. Morgan will be held at Trinity Methodist Church, 301 Marine Blvd., in Jacksonville, NC 28540 on Saturday, January 11 at 2:00 P.M. The family will receive friends in the Fellowship Hall after the service, followed by a private family burial.
Dr. Morgan was born in Fairmont, NC, the son of Herbert Paul Morgan and Rachael Evans Morgan. He graduated from Fairmont High School in 1951 with academic and athletic honors in several sports.
Dr. Morgan attended Asheville Biltmore Junior College (now UNC – Asheville) for two years on a football scholarship. While there he was elected class president. He then transferred to Newberry College in Newberry, SC on another football scholarship and graduated in 1955 with a B.S. in Natural Sciences. He was inducted into the Blue Key Honor Society and participated in the Newberry College choral group. He thoroughly enjoyed music and participated in a barber shop quartet and an acapella group. At Newberry he met and then married Mary Elizabeth Brabham, the love of his life, on August 20, 1955.
Dr. Morgan continued his education at the UNC School of Dentistry, earning his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1959. Upon graduation from dental school, Dr. Morgan was assigned to the Marine Corp Air Facility at New River as part of the United States Naval Dental Corps. There he had the distinct honor of serving with the Marine Air Corps Helicopter group. After serving his country, he began his dental practice in Jacksonville, opening his own practice in 1961. Dr. Morgan thoroughly enjoyed his many patients and the practice of dentistry for 60 years.
Dr. Morgan was very involved in service to the dental profession on the local, state, national and international levels. He served as President of the Onslow County Dental Society, member of the Advisory Committee for the Dental Department of Coastal Carolina Community College, President of the Eastern Prosthetic Club, President and Trustee of the Fifth District Dental Society, President and Trustee of the North Carolina Dental Society, Chairman of the NC Dental Peer Review Board, member of the Board of Directors of the Dental Foundation of North Carolina and member of the American Dental Association. In the ADA, he served as Delegate and/or Alternate delegate for 20 years representing North Carolina. He helped design and implement the first oral cancer detection clinic in NC. As a member of the Board of Directors of the Dental Foundation of NC, he also served as the District Director in the Foundation Campaign for Excellence. He endowed several scholarships for deserving dental students.
Among the honors that Dr. Morgan received for his tireless dedication to the dental profession are: Distinguished Service Award from the Dental Foundation of NC, Distinguished Service Scroll from the NC Dental Society, Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, Fellow of the American College of Dentists, Fellow of the International College of Dentists, and induction as a member of the Federation of Dentistry Internationale. In addition, the Fifth District Dental Society established the W.K. Morgan Distinguished Service Award. This award is not necessarily given every year but is reserved for and only awarded to dentists that exhibit outstanding leadership and service to the dental profession and mankind.
Not only did Dr. Morgan give his time to promote the UNC School of Dentistry, he also served the greater university as a member of the UNC Board of Governors and Chairman of its Governance Committee. In addition, he was a member of the UNC Board of Visitors, a member of the Board of Directors of the Educational Foundation and he endowed a scholarship that supports a deserving athlete every year at UNC. His many years as a Rams Club member gave him many enjoyable times tailgating and attending UNC athletic events with friends and family.
Dr. Morgan believed in working on behalf of his local community. He served on the Board of Directors of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, the Jacksonville City Council, the Jaycees, and 16 years as a member of the Jacksonville Senior High Advisory Council. Other leadership positions included Director and Chairman of the Board of the Jacksonville Wachovia Bank, County Chairman of the American Cancer Society, and President of the Kiwanis Club. He was a founding member of the Onslow County Community Foundation and a founding member of the Sponsors for Academic Talent (SAT) which gives scholarships every year to deserving high school students in Onslow County. He was also inducted into the Onslow County Sports Hall of Fame. In 2016, Dr. Morgan and his wife, Mary, were awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine. In 2018, he was awarded the Jacksonville-Onslow Chamber of Commerce Civic Honoree of the Year. Dr. Morgan and his wife, Mary, were also awarded United Way's Fabric of the Community Award in 2018. Dr. Morgan donated his personal dental office to the Caring Community Clinic of the Onslow Community Outreach so that the indigent community could be served in perpetuity.
Dr. Morgan has been a faithful member of Trinity United Methodist Church since arriving in Jacksonville. He served as a Lay Speaker, District Lay Leader, Chairman of the Administrative Board, and Chairman of the Finance, Staff – Parish, Evangelism and Stewardship Committees, as well as a Sunday School Teacher for High School students. Dr. Morgan sponsored and led two missionary trips to Haiti, providing free dental care for the native population as well as free dental equipment and supplies.
Because of Dr. Morgan's belief that athletics can have a positive impact on a young person's life, he coached little league football for a number of years. He led the effort to establish a Pop Warner Little League football program in Jacksonville. He firmly believed that the discipline and teamwork acquired in the football program made these individuals more courageous and successful in life and more apt to give back to their community wherever they may live. He solicited help from his many friends to get the Pop Warner program off the ground. Every Saturday in the Fall, hundreds of young men and their families spend quality time together learning the many lessons of life that can be translated from the football field to assist in the growth and maturity of productive citizens.
Dr. Morgan spent fifty years of his life dedicated to academics and athletics in Onslow County. Many years before they became mandatory, Dr. Morgan fabricated and donated mouth guards for the football teams which assisted in curtailing concussions and severe dental injuries.
Dr. Morgan believed that his greatest work in life was his service to humanity. He exhibited that belief through hard work and perseverance. He never gave up on a project or a person that he believed in.
Dr. Morgan loved to spend time with his family. "Doc" was dearly loved and will be missed by his wife, Mary, their 3 children, Elizabeth Brabham "Brabsie" Morgan Randall (Dr. Marcus E. Randall), Dr. William Kenneth Morgan, Jr. (Joy) and Dr. Thomas Evans Morgan (Dr. Kim).
He was a proud grandfather of William Kenneth Morgan, III (Janie), Dr. Marcus Kenneth Randall (Dr. Beth), Elizabeth Dannelly Morgan Kitzenberg (Kitz), Dr. Morgan Hampton Randall (Kristen), Marycobb Brabham Randall Reeves (Aaron), Eleanor Kirkland Morgan McLeod (Brian), Thomas Evans Morgan, Jr. and Davis Michels Morgan.
His great grandchildren are Jake and Adaline Sheppard, Charlie and Tess Morgan, Harrison, Franklin and Suzanna Randall, Collins and Claire Reeves, Greer and Palmer Randall, Sarah and Owen McLeod and Hazel and Banks Kitzenberg.
In lieu of flowers, consider making a difference in the lives of others as Dr. Morgan did, by contributing to a cause that is important to you or to one of the following organizations: the Onslow Community Outreach Dental Clinic, 1210 Hargett St. Jacksonville, NC 28540; or the Morgan Family Endowed Scholarship at the UNC School of Dentistry, Attn: Sarah Huppert, UNC Adams School of Dentistry, Campus Box 7450, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7450.
In lieu of food being delivered to the house, please make any food donations to the Onslow Community Outreach Soup Kitchen, 1210 Hargett St., Jacksonville, NC. 28540.
Even though "Doc's" heart has ceased to beat, his sweet Spirit will always be with us.