John W. Morris
Christmas card designed by the Missouri River Division staff about the new division airplane,
1971.
Director of Civil Works
Q:
So in the spring of 1972 you became director of Civil Works in the Corps headquarters. How did
you feel about getting that assignment?
There were other well qualified generals, of course, who might have gotten the job, but I was
pleased it was me. I had expected that assignment would be the culmination of my career. I had
a deep interest in the military program and regretted leaving it. Even so, my background suited
me also for the civil public works activities, and we were very happy to get the assignment. Gerry
and I still had the home in Arlington which we'd acquired when we came from the Military
Academy some years earlier, so there was no problem with a place to live. We arrived in the
Washington area in late May 1972. Our arrival was recognized by Speaker Carl Albert, whom
I had known when district engineer in Tulsa. He hosted a small reception for Gerry and me in the
speaker's office. The entire Oklahoma delegation attended. A real honor and a very nice affair.
I'm not sure of the exact date we reported to OCE, but I am sure I'd only been director of Civil
Works a couple of days when Agnes tore up the Susquehanna Valley and made my introduction
to the civil works program rather quick, abrupt, and impressive. My recollection is that on Friday,
23 June 1972, a very severe storm passed through Washington with forecasts of damage and
flooding farther north. It was raining cats and dogs in D.C. My basement was flooding, and I
received a call from General Clarke saying he wanted me to be at the Andrews Air Base to take
a flight up to the Susquehanna River early Saturday morning. I remember wondering why his
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