Bob was
originally from Asheville, NC, as the son of a Navy CEC officer, he entered
USNA on a presidential appointment.
Following graduation, Bob served aboard the carrier HANCOCK before
entering Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for graduate study in civil
engineering. Graduating in 1960 with a
BCE degree, he then attended the Navy Civil Engineer Corps School at Port
Hueneme, CA changing his designator to CEC.
His first CEC assignment was to Naval Air Material Center, Philadelphia;
followed by a transfer to Cartagena, Spain.
In June 1964,
during his next assignment as Manager of Drydocks, Naval Station Norfolk, Bob
married Barbara Ann Larson. In the
following years, Bob and Barbara had a daughter Kristina and a son Robert. They presented the family with five grand
children.
In 1965, he
deployed to Vietnam as Executive Officer of Seabee Construction Battalion 8.
Returning from Vietnam, Bob became staff civil engineer at Headquarters,
Aviation Basic Training, Pensacola. From
1968 to 1971, he was Public Works Officer at Quonset Point Naval Air Station,
RI followed by a tour in Quantico, VA supporting the FBI Academy through
1972. For the remainder of his career,
Commander Morris was assigned to the Headquarters of the CEC, Washington Navy
Yard, serving in personnel, training, and contracting billets until he retired
in August 1978.
Bob’s second
career was with Wm. Schlosser and Company of Hyattsville, MD involving general
and mechanical contracting. He died of cancer on 12 December 1985 at age 51 and
is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Barbara now lives in Gainesville, VA.