As we celebrate the life of Morris, I will cherish my fond memories of him. He was the maintenance and finally the facilities director at Hays CISD for decades. I served on the school board for 12 years from around 1986-1998.
Morris had a presence about him and he was highly respected. When we were getting pressure to initiate a girl’s softball program quickly, Morris made it happen by handling the construction. When we didn’t have the money or the luxury of time to get off the septic systems at Hays High School and Barton Middle School, Morris became our project manager and ran 3 miles of pipe to the Kyle wastewater treatment plant. I thought he would run the pipe in the FM150 right of way. Morris was concerned about that because if the state ever expanded the road the school district would have to move the sewer line. Instead, Morris negotiated easements across several private properties since he knew all the owners personally.
Trying to stretch our construction dollars, Morris “value engineered” Hemphill, Fuentes, and Elm Grove elementary schools. These schools were built for $12 million total including furniture and fixtures. A key reason we were able to do this was site location. Morris picked all three of these sites because of the gravel or limestone underneath. Morris knew about expansive soils and irregular site locations would cost millions more to develop.
Morris was one of the hardest working people I know. He had a schedule to keep, especially in the summer when students were gone. He had the ability to manage multiple projects at a time and he had a great ability to review blueprints and spot potential problems.
He was a fine, fine Christian man. His honesty and integrity could not be questioned. After he retired, he helped build churches around the country.
We will miss Morris but we know he is in a better place and he made us all better for knowing him. Go in Peace Morris.
Bryce Bales
Manchaca
