William S. (Billy) Morris III ’52 was honored as the 2002 Distinguished Alumnus during Darlington Celebration ’02 held Friday, April 19, in the Morris Chapel during Reunion Weekend. Rena Cooper Webb ’88, president of the Alumni Council, described to students, faculty, Morris’ fellow classmates, and other alumni, the process for selecting the distinguished alumnus annually, noting that an alumnus is nominated based on distinction in any of four areas: 1) notable achievement within an occupational or professional field, 2) service to his or her community, state, or nation, 3) service to the arts, sciences, or humanitarian causes, or 4) loyalty to Darlington.
President David Hicks, in presenting the award to Morris, said, “It would be hard to imagine a person more illustrative of Darlington’s six-sided mission or more deserving of this award. Your leadership of the recently completed Campaign for Darlington inspired unprecedented levels of generosity to the School and made available resources that have led to major improvements in every area of school life. All of our lives have been touched and improved by your thoughtful support to the School.”
In his acceptance speech, Morris recalled why he attended Darlington saying that, as a sophomore in high school, he had so many social interests that he had managed to reduce his studying to one day a week, a fact that had not gone unnoticed by his parents. They realized that he needed to be challenged to achieve more, Morris noted, and sent him to Darlington, where he graduated two years later in 1952.
Morris is a successful business owner and generous philanthropist. As a boy, he delivered the Augusta Chronicle on horseback in Augusta, Ga. After spending two years at Darlington as a boarding student, Morris attended the University of Georgia and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1956. Today, he is chair and chief executive officer of Morris Communications Corporation.
Morris’ civic involvements include serving as director Augusta United Fund and the Associated Press, and membership on the Berry College Agriculture Advisory Committee. He was chair of the Campaign for Darlington. He is past chair of the Newspaper Association of America, and a former elder of Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church.
Morris was awarded the 1983 University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication Outstanding Alumnus Award. He is a member of the boards of trustees at Darlington, Paine College, the Augusta College Foundation, the University of Georgia Foundation, and Columbia Theological Seminary.
Morris serves as director and president of the Atlantic Coast Cutting Horse Association; is the founder of the Augusta Futurity; chair of the board and past president of the Greater Augusta Sports Council; and chief executive officer of the National Barrel Horse Association. He is chair of the board of The Morris Museum of Art, named in memory of his parents, which officially opened in 1992.
While at Darlington, Morris played football, was a cheerleader, sang in the Glee Club, and participated on the Darlingtonian staff.
His brother Charles Morris is a 1956 Darlington graduate and parent of Mary Morris Enkema ’86. His sister, Alden Morris Maier, is a parent of alumni John R. Maier ’80, Alden Maier Parsons ’90, and Marian Haynesworth Maier ’94. The Morris Chapel was dedicated as such on May 16, 2001 in honor of the Morris family.
Morris and his wife, Mary Sue “Sissie,” have three children, William S. Morris IV ’79, John Tyler Morris, and Susie Morris Baker.
A transcript of the acceptance speech given by William S. Morris III ’52, named Darlington’s 2002 Distinguished Alumnus on April 19, follows:
This is a tremendous honor and I appreciate it more than I can tell you. As I know you recognize, Darlington has had a significant impact on my life. I know that if it were not for Darlington, I would not be where I am today.
As I reflect back over my life and particularly the Darlington Campaign of which I was privileged to serve as chairman, there are certain things that come to my mind. Two things stand out from all of that experience: 1) the importance of independent schools in our nation, schools like Darlington, and 2) the spirit of volunteerism.
Please look with me for a moment at the importance of independent schools –the big picture, if you will. There are approximately 900 independent elementary and secondary schools in the country. You might say, “Well, that’s a lot,” and it is.
But, there are 110,000 total elementary and secondary schools in the country –and, only 900 are independent or private; that is less than one percent. But, I submit to you that this small, but highly effective group of independent schools plays an absolutely necessary role in our free society. These schools do three essential things:
1) They provide a benchmark by which the other schools are measured. Throughout our history, the private, independent schools have set a standard by which the public schools are measured. The independent schools provide public education with consistent pressure and quality example in a cooperative framework for the overall improvement of education. John Stephenson of the Campbell Foundation calls it “creative tension.” I think it’s healthy for our nation.
2) This group of independent schools throughout the entire history of our republic has produced more leaders of all kinds, more professionals of all kinds, and more movers and shakers than one can count. We could safely say that a disproportionately large number of our nation’s leaders in all fields of endeavors have come from these institutions.
3) Independent schools give our nation a choice. Independent education offers parents a choice: a choice of school size, of school focus, of location, of mission, and of academic rigor. Parents may select the school that is best suited to their child’s individual needs and that best fulfills their family’s philosophy of life.
Each independent institution develops its unique character by serving particular segments of the population. This element of choice plays another important role in the life of private education. It constantly challenges independent schools to re-evaluate their missions and performances. They have no tax support, so they must compete in the marketplace for students as well as financial support.
The fact that independent schools are directly accountable to the parents they serve encourages a high degree of responsiveness to the needs of the individual student. At independent schools, students progress faster because of a lower student-faculty ratio and because teaching is tailored to each student and not to a class average. No one is on a set track, and there are high expectations for each student.
Because they are not best by layers of bureaucracy, leaders of independent schools have the freedom to act quickly, keeping their schools on the leading edge of technology and educational innovation. Successful programs can be expanded while others may be removed quickly.
And last, independent schools have the freedom to espouse ethical, religious, and moral standards, to embody them in classrooms, on playing fields, and in dormitories, and to work constantly to build character in their students. In contrast, values taught in public schools are, at best, neutral, particularly in today’s politically correct society.
For all of these reasons, this is my case for private, independent schools. I think it is strong; yes, compelling.
As I was putting together my thoughts for this talk, I concluded that there was one other thing I could say here that would find general agreement with many of you. Private boarding schools like Darlington often provide a turning point in the lives of many immature adolescent youngsters. That was the case with me –and, I suspect it was true for many of you.
[In relation to] my second point, if I am right about what I have just said regarding the important of independent schools in America, then I am correct in saying that they rest on a foundation of volunteerism.
[Many of us in this chapel] are products of an independent education. We benefited from independent education. We understand independent education. Therefore, helping an independent school succeed in its mission is one of the most important things any of us can do. We are all very much a part of the continued success of Darlington.
What we have just accomplished in the recent campaign for Darlington has helped Darlington tremendously. What we have done is noble and worthy, and we can all feel good about it –but we are not finished.
Private and independent schools like Darlington must have a large base of volunteers who are willing to carry on the work of schools like Darlington for successive generations. They must be committed to helping other young people just as they have been helped.
Those of us in this room who are older will pass form the scene in due course, and this job will fall upon the shoulders of you who are younger. You must not look upon it as a burden, but rather a joy … What could possibly give us more pleasure than knowing that we are helping young people build their educational foundation, which we all need to build for life?
I want to close with a quote by Henry Brooks Adams, who said, “A teacher affects eternity; he (or she) can never tell where his influence stops.” Ladies and gentlemen, that is true of all of us. By working to assure the success of Darlington, “We never know where our influence stops.”
Thank you very much. God bless all of you and God bless Darlington.
