Southern Illinois University - Obelisk Yearbook (Carbondale, IL)

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Brilliant said Morris believed in giving everyone a second chance and wanted to make everyone happy. Next to Nehru, Brilliant said, til would rate him as one of the greatest men that Ilve known, and live met some very, very great men? Brilliant, who has lived in Carbon- dale for 14 years, began sculpting a clay model of the statue in April of 1969 in a small room in Woody Hall. She decided to put Morris in an academic gown and to end the statue just below the knees so the statue would remain timeless. Having Mor- ris in a suit or wearing shoes would make the statue old-fashioned in the future, she said. A specialist from New York then made a nine piece fiberglass cast of the sculpture, which was sent to the N oack Foundry in West Germany to be cast in bronze. Efforts to raise money for the statue began in 1974 and a contract between Brilliant and the SIU Foun- dation was signed in N ovember of 1982. Arrangements were then made to transport the sculpture, purchased through some 300 private contribu- tions to the Foundation, from West Germany to Carbondale. In Morris 1949 inaugural address, he said, tlBecause I believe in the moving power of education and the inherent and abiding worth of my own people, I accept the responsibili- ties of the complex and difficult burden you today place upon me, and look ahead with confidence. Morris remembered his responsibil- ity and the heroic-sized statue is a fit- ting remembrance for the great man who lived his dreams. 13 24 photo by Doug Janvnn photo by Doug Janvnn News

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Betty Mitchell, assistant professor of English, remembered Morris as a problem-solver, planner anti builder. Mitchell said Morris personified the word tubiquitous, because his work extended beyond the campus to the entire southern Illinois community. Calling Morris a giant in higher education, Board of Trustees member, Ivan Elliott, said, itHe moved forward aggressively and seized all available opportunities? In SIUis first 75 years, almost 5,000 students received degrees, Elliott said. When Morris retired in 1970, over 7,000 degrees were conferred. ttThe seeds he planted grew with unprecedented rapidity into a broad professional school program? Elliott said. ttOnly now do we realize how far ahead he planned? The statue of Morris, placed in the Hall of Presidents in the library hear- ing his name, was unveiled by Mor- News ris, widow Dorothy, son Peter and grandsons Brett and Trevor. Addressing the 500 people at the dedication ceremony, Peter Morris said, ttWe dedicate this statue as a symbol for a symbol. This becomes a symbol for the university that was developed for the people? The one-and-a-quarter lifesize statue was sculpted by Fredda Bril- liant, an internationally known artist who has sculpted such people as Mahatma Gandhi, R. Buckminister Fuller and Pandit N ehru. Brilliant and her husband, SIU-C professor emeritus Herbert Marshall, were good friends of Delyte and Dorothy Morris. itI watched what he did for the uni- versity? Brilliant said in an inter- view prior to the unveiling. 01 never saw anybody so conscientious. To him this university was the world. And I thoughtrthere should be a sculpture of him one day? photo by Doug Janvrin 23

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h; h For the first time the Obelisk II Maga- zine Format Yearbook takes a look at research projects and at the Office of Research Development and Administra- tion, who coordinates such operations at SIU-C. We will highlight four of the Universityls on-going projects. These projects have gained a spot in the public eye over the last year and, we felt, merited attention. Keep in mind that these projects are only the tip of a large iceberg. We live in a time when new break- throughs in medicine, technology and human resources are daily occurences. Col- leges and universities across the nation and around the world play an important role in such advancements and SIU-C is no exception. Whether it be teaching people to fly in Nepal, putting books on the shelves of the library, researching feeding methods for farm animals or paying some SIU-C stu- dents for student work, the Office of Re- search Development and Administration headed by Dr. Michael R. Dingerson is involved. The call for such an office within the SIU system first came during the days of Presi- dent Delyte W. Morris. Morris belieVed that SIU-C should play a role in the develop- ment of southern Illinois. In reality, the Morris concept of community service trans- lates into seemingly small but important Features tasks like numbering houses in some of the smaller towns of the region or conducting water and soil tests at abandoned strip mines. Although there is no cost to such patrons the overall price tag for all these projects was more than $30-milli0n in fiscal year 1982; an increase of $2.5 million over the previous year. Four hundred and fifty-eight separate donors, ranging from federal to state to private sources, supplied these monies in 1982. A large portion of those external dollars comes from corporations who hope to en- hance the learning environment of SIU-C students, according to Dr. Diane Gilliland. Gilliland, a corporate relations coordinator for the Coal Extraction and Utilization Research Center, said, itCorporations are interested in our graduates and want their training to be the bestfi While there is no denial of the advantages of research projects, such programs are threatened most by budget cutbacks. Stan- ley McAnally, vice president for university relations and development, said in Sep- tember of 1982 that Whel hoped to raise money from private sources, predominantly alumni and friends? He believes that he can reach a goal of $5-million a year through gifts and contributions. In 1981, the University collected more than $1- million from private sources. El 25