John W. Morris
Q ..
I was going to ask you that. Is there any thought of "retiring" again?
A
Well, yes. I think of it frequently, and it depends on the personal situation. Unfortunately,
Gerry's had a lot of problems the last five or six years with arthritis, and as I mentioned, her
hip replacement. Besides, she's had both corneas replaced in her eyes. Those were serious
operations. She's had three operations on her foot to try to eliminate the pain when she walks.
Also she's had one joint in one finger, her index finger on her right hand, worked on. So I'm
hoping that after this current surgery she'll be mobile, but we're reaching the point pretty
quick where I think we should devote ourselves to each other. Still my work gives us diversity.
It allows us to travel some, which we otherwise might not, but there's no question where the
priority is. The priority is at home. When I have to choose, that's where I'll go full time. Also,
as an individual I am becoming less attractive in the business arena. You asked did I ever think
about it. Yes, I think about it a lot. Gerry and I have pretty much agreed that as long as I can
continue to get around and do some good things and as long as she's healthy, our present
arrangement is best. She wouldn't know what to do with me at home anyhow.
She spends most of the summers in North Carolina at our beach place where I have a fax
machine, a copier, and so forth. I can do my consulting and board work from North Carolina
as well as here in Virginia. Helen Sari, my secretary, keeps my local office open and handles
the administration. I fax letters for her to type, et cetera. She is a wonderful person who has
become a good friend to Gerry and me.
Q ..
Have you found in the last few years that you're doing more pro bono work?
A ..
Yes. It grows and grows. I had a very good friend who retired as a flag officer and his policy
was not to do anything he didn't get paid for. That's okay. If you do that, you're probably
going to make a lot more money. My feeling, as I mentioned a couple of times, is slightly
different. I just felt that I could be of value to the future by putting my experiences to work in
fields which often are of a pro bono nature, like the Academy of Engineering, the Association
of Graduates, the University of Vermont, and so forth. Of course, the water organizations.
That's my background, navigation and water, so I serve on them, and it's a labor of love.
There's no altruistic objective there. So as time goes on, it seems that I've gotten more
committed, but I think that's going to change because next year I am also going to curtail my
activities with the Academy of Engineering and the University of Vermont.
To answer your question clearly, I believe when I first retired I was so interested in finding
an occupation that I didn't pay much attention to the pro bono work. Then, once I settled in
and became comfortable with the fact that I was going to be able to survive financially, I began
to do more and more pro bono work. It's now reached a peak probably, and it'll wane in the
future. I've enjoyed the effort, don't misunderstand me. It's not a one-way street, and I have
no regrets in any way. I wouldn't want this record to reflect I have. I've enjoyed the pro bono
work, and I've met some wonderful people. I am not sure a person can make more money if
he avoids pro bono efforts. Actually, some of my consulting work has resulted directly from
my exposure at the National Academy of Engineering.
Q ..
Looking back over the 16 years of your retirement, you've been involved in a large variety of
activities and projects and various kinds of work. Perhaps we could wrap up this segment of
the interview by summarizing the types of activities you've been involved in during the last
few years.
A
I would say that the first general comment is I was interested in being involved in a lot of
things. I just think that's my nature. The higher I went in the Corps, the more I enjoyed my
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