Ron Morris (1940 – 2012) Longtime Teacher Coach of the AHS Constitution Team

Ronald Scott Morris was born March 16, 1940 in Centralia, WA. When he was a child, Ron and his family moved to Burbank, CA where he graduated from John Burroughs High School in 1958. After high school he attended Citrus College. Ron then enlisted in the U.S. Navy for two years; he was based in San Francisco, CA where he earned the rank of Corpsman First Class. After an honorable discharge, Ron returned to Southern California, where he graduated from California State University Los Angeles with a B.A. in Social Science with teaching credentials in 1971 and an M.A. in Administration/Education in 1982.
For thirty years Ron taught social studies at Arcadia High School in Southern California where he also coached the highly successful Arcadia High U.S. Constitution debate team. In the nine years he was their coach, the team always won regionals, won State titles several times and won the National title in 1993. Ron also coached or co-coached track, basketball, and football at Arcadia High. When he retired from teaching, Ron traveled to Eastern Europe and Central Asia where he educated teachers about democracy and constitutional principles through the U.S. Information Agency’s Center for Civic Education in Calabasas, CA. He retired from his work at the center in 2006 and lived the remainder of his life in Glendale, CA where he died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on November 24, 2012, at the age of 72.
Ron had a passion for the outdoors and he was an avid athlete. As a teenager, he was an Eagle Scout. Throughout his life he spent much of his spare time in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California hiking, backpacking and fishing with his family and friends. Ron was a quarterback on the Citrus College football team. For decades, Ron enjoyed running and he played many different sports; he continued some of these into his 60’s. Ron had many diverse interests such as literature, astronomy, and world travel. He will be remembered and missed by many for his good natured attitude toward others, his sense of humor and fun, and his positive outlook on life.
Ron is survived by his loving family with a deep feeling of loss: his wife, Sanja Morris, and her sons, Nikola Kantar and Aleksa Kantar. Ron’s daughters, Cherise Kelley and Kristine White, and their mother, Junelle Pearson, Ron’s first wife. Ron’s death was preceded by his parents’, Dewitt and Ethel Morris, and his brother, Roger Morris. In lieu of sending flowers, Ron’s family asks that donations for research be sent to: Alzheimer’s Association National Office, 225 N. Michigan Ave, Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601, or through their website at http://www.alz.org/research/
Ronald Scott Morris was born March 16, 1940 in Centralia, WA. When he was a child, Ron and his family moved to Burbank, CA where he graduated from John Burroughs High School in 1958. After high school he attended Citrus College. Ron then enlisted in the U.S. Navy for two years; he was based in San Francisco, CA where he earned the rank of Corpsman First Class. After an honorable discharge, Ron returned to Southern California, where he graduated from California State University Los Angeles with a B.A. in Social Science with teaching credentials in 1971 and an M.A. in Administration/Education in 1982.
For thirty years Ron taught social studies at Arcadia High School in Southern California where he also coached the highly successful Arcadia High U.S. Constitution debate team. In the nine years he was their coach, the team always won regionals, won State titles several times and won the National title in 1993. Ron also coached or co-coached track, basketball, and football at Arcadia High. When he retired from teaching, Ron traveled to Eastern Europe and Central Asia where he educated teachers about democracy and constitutional principles through the U.S. Information Agency’s Center for Civic Education in Calabasas, CA. He retired from his work at the center in 2006 and lived the remainder of his life in Glendale, CA where he died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on November 24, 2012, at the age of 72.
Ron had a passion for the outdoors and he was an avid athlete. As a teenager, he was an Eagle Scout. Throughout his life he spent much of his spare time in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California hiking, backpacking and fishing with his family and friends. Ron was a quarterback on the Citrus College football team. For decades, Ron enjoyed running and he played many different sports; he continued some of these into his 60’s. Ron had many diverse interests such as literature, astronomy, and world travel. He will be remembered and missed by many for his good natured attitude toward others, his sense of humor and fun, and his positive outlook on life.
Ron is survived by his loving family with a deep feeling of loss: his wife, Sanja Morris, and her sons, Nikola Kantar and Aleksa Kantar. Ron’s daughters, Cherise Kelley and Kristine White, and their mother, Junelle Pearson, Ron’s first wife. Ron’s death was preceded by his parents’, Dewitt and Ethel Morris, and his brother, Roger Morris. In lieu of sending flowers, Ron’s family asks that donations for research be sent to: Alzheimer’s Association National Office, 225 N. Michigan Ave, Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601, or through their website at http://www.alz.org/research/

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