Everett Lee Morris grew up in poverty and came from generations of hardworking mill workers. A strong work ethic and education changed his life.
Morris became the first in his family to earn a high school diploma and a college degree.
From humble beginnings working in a mill and peddling boiled peanuts, he rose to become a corporate executive.
Morris of New Jersey died after a long illness on July 18 at the age of 87. His memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Aug. 22 at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta.
He was born on May 26, 1928, in Poplar Bluff, Mo., and grew up in Sumter, S.C.
His mother took in laundry to help the family make ends meet while taking care of Morris and his four siblings. His great-grandfather, grandfather and father never got beyond the ninth grade and all worked in stave mills, making oak barrels.
Three generations of his family traversed the country to work in stave mills, moving from Illinois to Missouri to South Carolina.
While a teenager, he played American Legion baseball and worked in the mill. His athletic skills caught the attention of John J. Riley, who later served as a U.S. congressman from South Carolina. Riley encouraged Morris to go to college.
“If Dad hadn’t had a mentor who encouraged him along, he may have never gone to college,” said his son, Fulton County commissioner Lee Morris of Atlanta. “Congressman Riley recognized him not just for his baseball ability but his intellectual ability.”
In 1948, Morris graduated from Athens College in Alabama, where he met and married Arvis Lauren Stewart and started a family. He taught school in Alabama and worked briefly on auto assembly lines in Michigan.
In 1954, he received a commission in the U.S. Navy. While stationed near Washington, D.C., he attended night school at George Washington University, earning his MBA and doctorate in business administration. He then took the certified public accountant exam in Maryland and passed on his first sitting with the highest grades in the state.
After 10 years with the Navy, Morris left to work for the Federal Power Commission in Washington and then the New York State Public Service Commission in Albany. He later took a job with the Public Service Electric and Gas Co. in Newark, N.J., where he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer.
He also served as president and chief operating officer of Enterprise Diversified Holdings Inc. He retired in 1993 after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 for executives.
“He was an extremely hard worker and an extraordinary person to work for,” said Eileen Moran, who worked for Morris at Public Service Electric and Gas. “He gave you credit for the work you did and gave people an opportunity to advance. He was a mentor.”
After his first retirement, Morris became a partner and vice president in the Wall Street money management firm of W.H. Reaves & Co. until mandatory retirement forced him to step down at age 75. Thereafter, he served on several mutual fund boards until reaching their mandatory retirement age of 78.
A tough competitor who enjoyed playing games with family and friends, Morris passed on his love of baseball to his children, his son said.
“He just loved the joy of competition and the joy of doing his best,” Lee said. “His legacy to his children and grandchildren is if God gives you talents, you have an obligation to use them and do your best at what you’re doing.”
In addition to his son Lee, Morris is survived by his wife Carolyn Pendergast Morris, his daughter Arcadia “Katy” Lynn Morris Greenawalt of Sumter, S.C.; son David Michael “Mike” Morris of Laurel, Md., and stepson Philip Charles Pardue of McLean, Va.; brother Homer Louis Morris of Rossville, Ga., sister Emma Frances Morris of Fayetteville, Tenn.; 15 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
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