MURRAY, Ky. — When Bill Morgan, class of 1950, attended Murray State, it was a very different experience than it is today. In his day, many students didn’t have cars, so they hitchhiked to get to downtown Murray. The main hangout spot was The Hut across from Pogue Library, and curfews for female students were common at universities, which meant women at Murray State had to be back in the dorms by 10:00 p.m. He recalls paying just $7 per month in rent for private housing.
“We got by on so little and did so much,” said Morgan.
After attending Freed Hardeman University, the Puryear, Tenn. native transferred to Murray State as a sophomore in 1948. He lived in Ordway Hall, which now exists only as a façade on the corner of 15th Street and Olive Boulevard. He enjoyed business and physical education classes while receiving his degree in business administration with a teaching certificate.
Today, he is one of five generations of the Morgan family to graduate from Murray State University.
His grandfather, W.E. Morgan, was part of Murray State’s first graduating class in 1926. After graduating, he leaned on his degree to become an educator as well as a preacher in west Tennessee and west Kentucky.
His father and uncle were part of the second generation of the Morgan family to graduate from Murray State. His father, Hatler E. Morgan, graduated in 1934 and later served as principal of Benton High School as well as the president of the Bank of Marshall County, where he worked for 40 years. He also worked as a farmer throughout his lifetime and, at age 93, was fatally injured by a cow. He was so invested in farming that his last words were, “How many cows did we sell today?”
The Hatler E. Morgan Scholarship has since been established in his honor.
Morgan’s uncle, Dr. Joe Morgan, earned his degree from Murray State in 1935 and later became president of Austin Peay State University. His aunt, Virginia Morgan Defenderfer, also attended Murray State.
Morgan was not the only third-generation family member to graduate from the University. His brother, Dr. Phillip Morgan, received a master’s degree in chemistry in 1969. He went on to earn his doctorate in medicinal chemistry from the University of Tennessee in Memphis and completed post-doctoral work at Chelsea College in London. Their sister, Patricia, attended Murray State from 1965 to 1967, and Patricia’s husband, Paul, earned degrees from Murray State in 1959 and 1961.
Morgan’s cousin, Beth Falwell, graduated from the University in 1975 and currently lives in Murray. Falwell’s two sons also attended Murray State along with Morgan’s son and daughter, Brandon and Shannon.
Morgan’s granddaughter Emily Gann Mathis and her husband, Grant, received their degrees in 2009, becoming the fifth generation of family members to graduate from Murray State and creating what Morgan calls a “linkage that nobody else has.”
After Morgan graduated from Murray State, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and proceeded to spend 35 years with the military branch — first on active duty, then with the Tennessee Air National Guard and finally with the U.S Air Force Reserves, including ten years in the Air Force Academy. Among ten different aircraft, Gen. Morgan flew C-119s, C-97s and C-124s all over the world. While stationed in France, he met Irene Whiteside of Dallas, Texas, and they got married in a small village west of Paris in 1955.
During his time in the Air Force, he earned a Master of Arts in teaching government from Texas Technological University, where he was an associate professor of air science and a commandant of cadets.
The miles Morgan has flown are matched only by his lifetime of achievements, including the development of the Marshall County High School Athletic Foundation as well as New Pathways for Children, which provides support services for children in need. Currently, he serves as chairman of the board of Bradshaw & Weil, Inc. in Paducah, Ky. and vice chairman of the Peoples Bank of Marion and Glasgow, Ky.
One of the founders of the French African Christian Education Foundation, Morgan continues to serve as a board member for the organization, which sponsors a Christian school in Cotonou, Benin. Their mission is to train Africans to preach about Christ while also teaching them a trade that will support them and their families.
Morgan has also served on the Board of Regents for Murray State University and as president of the Murray State University Alumni Association, has received the Distinguished Alumni and Golden Horseshoe awards from the University and has been a member of Phi Kappa Phi since 2007. In 2009, he and his wife were Homecoming parade Grand Marshals.
“Gen. Bill Morgan and his wife, Irene, are among the most loyal, generous and dedicated alumni of Murray State University,” said Dr. Bob Jackson, President, Murray State University Foundation, Inc. “Bill’s ties to the University are unique, and we are very grateful for all that he does for this great institution.”
Morgan is proud of the strong ties he has with the University — and with the city of Benton, Ky. In the 1840s, Morgan’s great-great-grandfather gifted 50 acres of land to help create the city where Morgan and his wife now reside. In addition, Morgan’s father owned the property known as Sinkhole Hill Farm, located two miles south of Benton. Morgan said the sinkhole, which is ostensibly bottomless, is mentioned in Kentucky history books.
Since retiring from Air Force active duty as a Brigadier General in 1960, Morgan and his wife have held season tickets for Murray State basketball and football games. To this day, Morgan continues to be a big fan of the University’s teams. He believes that athletics are the heartbeat of a university in that they create a unifying spirit everyone on campus and in the community can rally around.
“Athletics are just as important as academics,” he said, explaining that working the body and working the mind are equally vital. Because athletics are so important to him, Morgan made a generous donation to help build the Gene W. Ray Practice Facility — which houses what is known as Morgan Court.
“Murray State’s always been good to the Morgan family, and we want to be good to it,” said Morgan.
Photo 1: Retired U.S. Air Force General Bill Morgan graduated from Murray State University in 1950.
Photo 2: Bill and Irene Morgan in their Benton, Ky. home.