H. Morris Morgan

1920 - 2018

Longtime Fairbanksan, H. Morris Morgan, 97, returned to his Lord on Jan. 23, 2018, at his home surrounded by family and friends. 
Morris was born Oct. 19, 1920, in Grangeville, Louisiana, to Samuel Dewitt Morgan and Sadie Bronson Morgan, the youngest of five children. He attended Louisiana State University, but his studies were interrupted to take up "international diplomacy" by serving in the Army during World War II in the South Pacific. Returning wounded from the war, Morris resumed his studies at LSU, earning his master's degree in geography.
In September 1946, Morris married the love of his life and the only equal to his wit, Alice Pearl Carpenter. They went on to have two sons, four grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Morris lost Alice in 2001 to breast cancer.
In 1960, while working on a doctorate in geography, Morris got his first taste of Alaska while studying the geomorphology of the sand dunes on the Colville Delta. He accepted a teaching position at UAF and moved his family here in January 1962 to the "spacious quarters" of Fairview Manor. In November 1964, they bought a homestead on Chena Hot Springs Road that remained his home ever since.
Morris surveyed the route for the Arctic Gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to the Mackenzie River Delta in the 1970s, worked on a preliminary archaeological survey for the Mount McKinley National Park and helped Tanana Chiefs Conference develop village gardening techniques, earning him the moniker "Rutabaga Morgan."
Morris took painting classes while attending LSU, spurring a lifelong passion for capturing his visions on canvas. His paintings reflect his unique and extraordinary imagination. Morris felt there was an artist inside everyone and encouraged all to take up their brushes or pens and create. His first art exhibit was held in 2015. His "Writers Challenge," where writers submit works inspired by a given painting, is in its third run.
Everyone whom Morris' soul touched was better for it. He was a true gentleman, an inspiring teacher, a fantastic storyteller (even the tall ones), a deep and passionate artist, and a truly beloved man whose life simply cannot be encompassed by these humble words.
He was preceded in death by his brothers and their wives, Olton and Blanche Dewitt, and Stanley and Ruth; his sister, Millie, and her husband, George; his wife, Alice; his son, Mervin; and his granddaughter, Barbara Jean.
He is survived by his sister, Jewel Devall; his son, Herbert Morgan; daughter-in-law Debra Morgan; grandson, Michael Morgan, his wife, Rebecca, and their children, Anthony, Aurora, Vincent, Emyle and Katelyn; granddaughter, Danyel Baker, her husband, Nick, and their children, Sierra, Lane and James; granddaughter, Samantha Dorsey, her husband, Charles, and their children, Nathan and Sean.
An internment ceremony will be held this spring. Memorial contributions may be sent to Hospice of the Tanana Valley, P.O. Box 82770, Fairbanks, AK 99708 or Breast Cancer Detection Center, 1905 Cowles St., Fairbanks, AK 99701.