Dr. Glen Morgan

11/22/1933 — 9/14/2024

Service Date: 9/27/2024
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Dr. Glen Dee Morgan of Lewiston passed away Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, at the Lewiston Veterans Home. He was born on Nov. 22, 1933, in Malad City, Idaho, the son of Edmond and Catherine Lewis Morgan, the youngest of 12 children in a family of eight boys and four girls. He lived his early years on the family ranch at Deep Creek in Oneida County near the foothills of the Oxford Mountains in southeastern Idaho. It was there and at the family winter home in Malad that he developed an enduring bond and respect for his family members and others as he acquired a strong work ethic which he displayed throughout his lifetime.

Glen graduated from Malad High School in 1951, where he was active in athletics and was a district high school boxing champion. He attended Westminster College in Salt Lake City for one year prior to enlisting in the U.S. Navy in Aug. 1952. He was the seventh member of his family to serve in the military, covering a period of time from prior to World War II until after the Korean War. During his time in the Navy, Glen served as a radioman on the USS Sandoval APA 194 and the USS Tom Green County LST 1159 on the West Coast, the Western Pacific and Korea, in addition to being assigned for one year at naval communication stations in the Aleutian Islands at Adak and Attu, Alaska. He achieved the rank of Petty Officer First Class prior to his honorable discharge from the service at Philadelphia in 1956.

Glen enrolled at the University of Idaho in the fall of 1956, where he began to study toward a degree in education. During the early months at the university he was invited by the boxing coach at Washington State University to move over to Pullman and become a member of the WSU boxing team. After some deliberation, Glen decided to remain in Moscow, get a degree and find a teaching position. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in 1959 after having completed student teaching at the elementary, junior high and senior high levels in the Lewiston School District. The district offered him a teaching position beginning with the 1959 school year.

He taught for three years in grades five and six at Warner Elementary School (now McGhee) where he met a young farm girl from Winchester, who was a new first grade teacher in the building after having completed her course work for her Bachelor’s Degree in 1962 and later her Master’s Degree from the University of Idaho. Glen and Delores Merrill were married on Aug. 4, 1962, and were married for over 62 years. Delores taught for 35 years in the Lewiston School District as well as one year in the Clarkston School District prior to her retirement in 1998.

Glen was employed by the Lewiston School District for 34 years. During this time, he received his Master’s Degree in 1962 and Doctorate in 1970, both from the University of Idaho. In addition to his initial time at Warner Elementary, he became a teaching principal at Garfield Elementary from 1962 to 1965, at which time he was assigned as principal at Whitman Elementary until 1968. He took a leave of absence for one year to complete his doctorate and was later named assistant director of the Education Professions Development Program. Under that program, the Lewiston School District acted in conjunction with the University of Idaho, Lewis-Clark State College, Boise State University, College of Idaho and Northwest Nazarene College of Nampa to recruit and train persons to become certified teachers in areas of critical need, primarily mathematics and science.

In 1970, Glen was assigned the position of assistant superintendent - instruction for one year in the Lewiston School District and for the next two years he was co-director of the federally funded Communications Skills through Authorship program in conjunction with the University of Idaho. The program focused on development of a reading and language arts instructional approach for primary-age students. It was later expanded to include elements of the National Right to Read effort and involved some students at the junior high and senior high levels.

Glen served for nine years as assistant superintendent - supervision where he worked with professional development and evaluation of the teaching staff of the Lewiston School District, while also assisting with supervision of student teachers from Lewis-Clark State College and the University of Idaho. During the second half of the 1981-82 school year, Glen was assigned to serve as Lewiston High School principal, a position he held until he was appointed as superintendent of schools in the Lewiston School District on July 1, 1987. He remained in that position until he retired from the district at the conclusion of the 1992-93 school year. In 1992, Glen was named Idaho’s Superintendent of the Year by the Board of Directors of the Idaho School Superintendents Association.

In addition to his service in the Lewiston School District, Glen was a visiting professor of education during University of Idaho summer sessions and also taught extension courses. He was named outstanding Idaho school administrator for 1990 by the University of Idaho College of Education. Glen valued his opportunity to work closely with college and university programs and personnel. He was asked on two occasions by the State Department of Education to serve as chairman of evaluation committees to assess the effectiveness of teacher education programs at Boise State University and at Idaho State University. He was also asked to testify from time to time before various committees at the Idaho Legislature.

Glen was an unpretentious person whom others often said did not accept praise or credit for what he did or accomplished in all his endeavors. He gave credit to his family, colleagues, students, friends and others for help and guidance concerning any success he might have achieved. However, those that knew Glen knew better. Glen was always lending a hand wherever needed with family and friends. He spent years mowing his mother-in-law’s lawn and doing maintenance work on her home and wherever she needed assistance.

A lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Glen focused some of his spare time and effort in helping others in time of need. He was a former member of the Elks Lodge, the Lewiston Outlook Club, the Lewiston Rotary Club and the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Lewiston Chamber of Commerce. He assisted with programs for the Boys and Girls Club of the Lewis-Clark Valley and coached youth baseball and football programs. He had a long and continuous love of outdoor activities and always took advantage of any opportunity to go fishing and camping. In addition, he spent many hours working in his wood shop. After their retirement, Glen and Delores traveled to places in the lower 48 states, Alaska, Canada, Hawaii and Mexico.

Glen was preceded in death by his parents, seven brothers and four sisters. He is survived by his wife, Delores; his son, Steven (Shannon), and their children, Alyssa Williams (Trevor) and son, Morgan Daniel, Sarah Morgan (Luke Keeney), and Bryson King; his daughter Wendy Grogan (Van) and their sons Devan and Colton. Also surviving are numerous other relatives.

At his request, there will be no formal funeral service. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at the Normal Hill Cemetery in Lewiston. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made on Glen’s behalf to the Lewiston Independent Foundation for Education, the Oneida County Foundation for Education (Malad), the University of Idaho Foundation, the Lewis-Clark State College Foundation, or to one’s own charity institution or agency of choice.