Presbyterian College mourns the loss of Allen Morris ’56

Presbyterian College mourns the loss of Allen Morris ’56

AllenMorris-PresbyterianCollege-Athletics

John Allen Morris ’56, former athletics director passed away on Monday, Feb. 27 at Well Spring Retirement Community in Greensboro, N.C.

After graduating from PC in 1956, he entered the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and was stationed in the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga.

After active duty, he joined the Travelers Insurance Company and 18 months later joined Burlington Industries in Burlington, N.C. He was later transferred to New York sales with Burlington and then named Manpower Development Manager in New York City. Even though his hard work for Burlington kept him extremely busy, he pursued his passion in tennis. During his time in New York, he was ranked number one in the Eastern Section and won state tennis titles in both New York and New Jersey. In 1961 he became the chief college recruiter for Burlington and moved to the Greensboro Corporate Office. In 1967 he joined Texfi Industries as Vice President.

In 1980 Allen was named director of tennis and head tennis coach at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His teams were consistently strong in the ACC as well as nationally. He was named ACC Coach of the Year three times.

In 1993, he retired from coaching and was asked to join the staff at Presbyterian College as director of the Scotsman Club, and then as director of athletics. He retired from Presbyterian College in June 2000 and moved back to Greensboro in June 2001.

“He was a great administrator who loved PC very much,” said Harold Nichols, director of major gifts. “He was always a great ambassador for our school.”

Allen’s inductions include the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame (1976) NC Sports Hall of Fame (1978), Southern Tennis Hall of Fame (1985), Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame (1992), South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame (2002), South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame (2004), and Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame (2009). He won the State of North Carolina singles title 7 times. In 1977 and 1978 he was the USTA national singles and doubles champion in the Senior 45 and Over Division and attained a number nine ranking in the world.

He was a member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and a former member of the Kiwanis Club of Greensboro and Greensboro Country Club where he served as board member and Chairman of the Tennis Committee.

A memorial service to celebrate his life will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 3, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 607 North Greene Street in Greensboro, N.C., officiated by Reverend Tim Patterson. The family will greet friends during a reception following the service in the Haywood Duke Room.

 


 

Presbyterian College is located on a striking 240-acre campus in Clinton, between Columbia and Greenville, S.C. Offering challenging academics and a culture of honor, ethics, and service that prepares students to be leaders in communities, PC offers its students the benefit of engaging with an exceptional faculty who take individual interest in their students’ well-being, both personally and in the classroom. The Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy is dedicated to the ideals of leadership, honor to the profession, and service to the community. For more information about Presbyterian College, visit www.presby.edu.