First Two-Time Award Winner, Robert Morgan
This article describesRobert Morgan being awarded the Alumnus of the year Award twice. This and other articles may be found in the University Archives.
Citation for this article is: "First Two-Time Award Winner," Daily Reflector, May 22, 1965.
State Sen. Robert B. Morgan of Harnett County today became the first East Carolina College graduate to receive the school's "Alumnus-of-the-Year" award twice.
Sen. Morgan, chairman of the ECC trustees and president pro tem of the State Senate, was given the honor at the annual Alumni Banquet in South Dining Hall on the campus.
Presentation of the award was a highlight of Alumni Day events for 1965, a preliminary program to ECC's 56th commencement exercises Sunday afternoon in Ficken Memorial Stadium.
Sen. Morgan, pitch-hitting for North Carolina Governor Dan K. Moore, will be the commencement speaker. The Governor, recuperating from mumps, canceled his scheduled Sunday speech here under doctor's orders.
Today's recipient of the honorary alumni award was given ECC's "Alumnus-of-the-Year" citation in 1955 to pay tribute to his rapid rise into state political prominence. That was his first year in the General Assembly.
The citation accompanying this year's award expressed appreciation for Morgan's sustained support of his alma mater during his legislative career and as a college trustee.
Janice G. Hardison, director of alumni affairs, read the citation which concluded by pointing out that Morgan was receiving his second "Alumnus-of-the-Year" award 10 years after his first "because we are so grateful for the unselfish service he has continued to render East Carolina College and to the people of our great state."
In recent weeks Sen. Morgan has teamed with Sen. Walter B. Jones of Pitt County and others in leading effort to have the current General Assembly give ECC trustees the authority to establish a two-year medical school at East Carolina.
Sen. Morgan got his B.S. degree at East Carolina with the Class of '47. Three years later he graduated from the law school of Wake Forest College. One of two senators from the 12th District, he is a native of Harnett County and is a naval veteran.
He was appointed to the ECC board in mid-1958 and has been a trustee since. Last October he was unaimously elected chairman and thus at 39 became the board's youngest chairman in the board's history. He was the first ECC graduate to become chairman of the trustees.
A past president of the ECC alumni group he is married to the former Katie Earl Owenof Roseboro, also an ECC graduate. They have three daughters, Margaret Ann, Mary Elizabeth and Alise Jean, and make their home in Lillington.
