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Roy Winchester Morse

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Roy Winchester Morse

Birth	:	14 Mar 1906 Seattle, King County, Washington, USA
Death	:	18 Nov 2002 Seattle, King County, Washington, USA
Burial	:	Ford Cemetery, Ford, Ford County, USA
Coordinate	:	37.6319008, -99.7431030
Description	:	Son of William and Luanda (Case) Morse Husband of Myrtle Hedges Father of Alice and Virginia Roy Morse, Head of Engineering Dept., left his imprint on Seattle Few people put a stamp on the map of Seattle that rivals that of Roy W. Morse, a respected public servant who headed the city's Water and Engineering departments for two decades. From rearranging Seattle streets to accommodate the construction of Interstate 5 and the 1962 World's Fair, to building hydroelectric dams that deliver reliable water and power to the city, Mr. Morse's imprint remains on the city where he was born and spent most of his... Read More	Son of William and Luanda (Case) Morse Husband of Myrtle Hedges Father of Alice and Virginia Roy Morse, Head of Engineering Dept., left his imprint on Seattle Few people put a stamp on the map of Seattle that rivals that of Roy W. Morse, a respected public servant who headed the city's Water and Engineering departments for two decades. From rearranging Seattle streets to accommodate the construction of Interstate 5 and the 1962 World's Fair, to building hydroelectric dams that deliver reliable water and power to the city, Mr. Morse's imprint remains on the city where he was born and spent most of his life. Mr. Morse died Monday at Park West Care Center in West Seattle. He was 96. Engineering ran in Mr. Morse's blood. He succeeded his father, Chester Morse, as head of the city's Water Department, and expanded upon his work developing watersheds and pipelines for a growing and thirsty city. "If you looked up the definition of professional engineer in the dictionary, there'd be a picture of Roy right there," said Jack Pittus, who worked for Mr. Morse in the city Engineering Department in the late 1960s. In fact, an annual honor of the state chapter of the American Public Works Association is named the Roy Morse Award. A disciplined man, Mr. Morse wanted to be remembered as an honest steward of the taxpayers' trust, recalled daughter Alice Powell of Fresno, Calif. He even wrote his own epitaph: "Reliable Public Servant and Administrator." As a civil servant, Mr. Morse was a stickler for the rules. When he was issued a city car for work, he refused to use it for anything personal - even on occasions when he passed his daughters walking home in the rain. "Dad would drive right by and no one would even question that he wasn't going to pick us up," Powell recalled. "He believed you didn't bend the rules." Born in Seattle in 1906, Mr. Morse graduated from Broadway High School and the University of Washington before doing graduate work at Harvard University. In 1929, Mr. Morse married his college sweetheart, Elizabeth Hedges. The two were to have celebrated their 73rd anniversary Nov. 30. After a stint in the National Guard and at a Philadelphia airplane company, Mr. Morse and his wife returned to Seattle. He was hired as a Boeing engineer in 1934. Mr. Morse worked for the company for a decade, guiding the development of warplanes and commercial aircraft, including the 747. When Chester Morse, superintendent of the city Water Department, died in 1949, then-Mayor William Devin turned to Roy Morse to take his father's job. Upon accepting, Mr. Morse slyly remarked: "I can't help but be impressed with the smooth-running operation of this department," according to a newspaper article at the time. Chester Morse organized the city's development of the Cedar River Watershed; a lake there bears his name. But Mr. Morse did not rest on his father's laurels. He pressed the Water Department to build pipelines and secure reservoirs that still supply clean water to Seattle and suburbs. In 1957, Mr. Morse became Seattle's city engineer, a post he held for 14 years. In that role, he headed major civic projects including the permanent creation of Seattle Center after the 1962 World's Fair. Mr. Morse won numerous engineering honors. He was named Engineer of the Year in 1965 by the American Society of Civil Engineers and was president of the national and state chapters of the American Public Works Association. While his work often involved giant regional projects, Mr. Morse also retained a local boy's fondness for Fauntleroy, the West Seattle neighborhood where he lived for more than 50 years. He wrote two local histories of Fauntleroy that drew on interviews with some of its oldest residents. While the neighborhood is known for its spacious homes and spectacular views, Mr. Morse wrote that it was "the church, the school and the community center" that held the community together. In addition to his wife and daughter Alice, Mr. Morse is survived by daughter Virginia Morse Bievenour of Indianapolis; sons-in-law Frank Powell of Fresno and Donald Bievenour of Indianapolis; and three grandsons. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Fauntleroy Church, United Church of Christ, 9260 California Ave. S.W. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the church or to a charity in Mr. Morse's name.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Roy Winchester Morse's memorial?
Roy Winchester Morse's memorial is located at: Ford Cemetery, Ford, Ford County, USA.
When did Roy Winchester Morse death?
Roy Winchester Morse death on 18 Nov 2002 in Seattle, King County, Washington, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Roy Winchester Morse's memorial?
Latitude: 37.6319008
Longitude: -99.7431030

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Myrtle Elizabeth “Beth” Hedges Morse

(1906 - 2009)

Children

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Ford Cemetery
Ford, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6319008, -99.7431030

2. Pleasant Valley Cemetery
Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6880989, -99.6333008

3. Sodville Cemetery
Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.5261002, -99.7508011

4. Bucklin Cemetery
Bucklin, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.5428009, -99.6436005

5. Pioneer Cemetery
Wright, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7783360, -99.7872570

6. Holy Cross Cemetery
Windthorst, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7874985, -99.6369019

7. Zion Lutheran Cemetery
Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7779300, -99.6142500

8. Zion Lutheran Cemetery
Offerle, Edwards County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7779480, -99.6141880

9. Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Fort Dodge
Dodge City, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7315903, -99.9314041

10. Bloom Cemetery
Bloom, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.4928017, -99.8966980

11. Saint Andrew Catholic Cemetery
Wright, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7790800, -99.8875100

12. Pleasant Vale Cemetery
Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7933006, -99.9047012

13. Saint Johns Cemetery
Spearville, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.8381004, -99.7536011

14. Christ the King Cemetery
Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6493073, -100.0056305

15. Hillcrest Cemetery
Mullinville, Kiowa County, USA
Coordinate: 37.5922012, -99.4841995

16. McKinley Cemetery
Mullinville, Kiowa County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6324997, -99.4766998

17. Silent Land Cemetery
Spearville, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.8689003, -99.7530975

18. Prairie Grove Cemetery (Defunct)
Dodge City, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7612600, -100.0129500

19. Boot Hill Cemetery (Defunct)
Dodge City, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7544800, -100.0222800

20. Scroggins Mausoleum
Dodge City, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7403000, -100.0498200

21. Maple Grove Cemetery
Dodge City, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7612410, -100.0507630

22. Amish Cemetery
Dodge City, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.6639500, -100.0913300

23. Bethel Cemetery
Hodges, Edwards County, USA
Coordinate: 37.7344017, -99.4131012

24. Warner Cemetery
Spearville, Ford County, USA
Coordinate: 37.9022100, -99.8633500