John
Morris
believing you can do better thinking than you can manually. My mother's family was just the
opposite.
In growing up I was very much immersed in horses, Boy Scouts, church, and athletics. I did well
in athletics. I was captain of the basketball team in high school and was recognized in high school
for athletics.
Being from that part of the world, you're bound to be interested in natural things-outdoor
things. That's the way it was. Even during the darkest days of the Depression, people could live
fairly well. They didn't need much money because they lived off the land. Your neighbors looked
out for you. As long as you had your health, you could probably survive with a minimum amount
of money. So I was very much into, I would say, anything to do with outdoors, athletics, that kind
of thing.
Q ..
When you went to West Point, did you have any idea of where you wanted to go in the Army?
A ..
We knew when we went in that we would be there for four years and have a three-year service
obligation afterwards. I didn't go there with the idea of being an engineer. I knew I was going to
be in the Army, and that was okay, but I had no idea about a branch.
Q .. Did you have any knowledge of the Corps of Engineers from your home area?
A .. Yes, a little bit because, being in the Tidewater area, there was quite a bit of drainage activity.
I used to see these cars go by with "USED" on them all the time. I couldn't figure out what that
was. It was "United States Engineering Department."
well, it wasn't directly military-was the CCC [Civilian
Then the other side of the
Conservation Corps]. I remember that quite well.
The closest I ever came to anything military before Charlotte Hall was playing in the firemen's
band. We used to march occasionally.
Q .. What courses did you pursue at Western Maryland during that one year?
A .. Because I graduated from high school so young, I had taken a high school post-graduate course.
Based on placement tests on entering college, I ended up taking mostly all sophomore subjects
at Western Maryland. After the sophomore year, I intended making a final decision, but I was
leaning towards business because of my family background.
Q .. What were some of the things about growing up on the Eastern Shore that you see influencing
your life?
You know, there are a lot of things you remember. In those very tough days of the early
A
people there were quite vigilante-minded. Our little town was quite volatile. Our home wasn't
too far from the jail. One night an angry crowd broke into the jail and removed and lynched a
prisoner accused of rape. I was 12 and observed parts of the rampage. Things like that do have
an impact.
Even now, I think of the Eastern Shore people as being very independent. They're not big on
government. They're big on independence. I think it gives you a broader view of humanity and
maybe a little more understanding. You grow up making up your own mind, living with your
decisions, I guess.
One thing that it helped me with is the ability to get along with people. I think I did learn from
growing up over there-how to deal with everyday, average income people, and how to
communicate with people. I think that's been a positive thing.
Previous Page
