The 52-year marriage of Loretta and Richard Morris began with a chance encounter at JFK airport. Loretta said it was “love at first sight,” although Richard claims it took him “a few days to fall in love.” After teaching stints and several years living abroad, Loretta decided it was time to move back to North America. She soon had two offers, one at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and one at Loyola University in Los Angeles. Loretta asked Richard, “Sunshine or snow?”
It wasn’t long before Richard also was offered a teaching position at what was then Loyola University and the two began their collective 70 years of teaching and service to the university. The LMU campus quickly became their community, and the faculty and staff, their family. When Loretta Morris, Ph.D., passed away in April 2020, Richard honored her and their time on the bluff by establishing a scholarship in her name to support a student studying sociology, Loretta’s field.
“This is a contribution to the department that enabled Loretta to do what she most enjoyed, teaching,” said Richard. “An endowed scholarship is part of the university’s life. It’s Loretta walking hand-in-hand with generations of students and opening a door to their future.”