The Morris Fifth Grade Center will be the second campus of its kind to
open in the district and in the state in August 2004. It will serve as
a new beginning in the building that has served as Beverly Hills Intermediate
School since 1964. The building is being converted to house the fifth
grade center through funding approved by voters in February 2000 as part
of the “Make Room For Children” bond program. The school will
draw students from Atkinson, Burnett, Frazier, Jessup, Meador, Moore and
Stuchbery elementary schools. With an elementary school philosophy, students
will be given the knowledge and resources they need to make a successful
transition into intermediate school.
The school is named after Billie and Kathleen Morris,
who were well-known champions for children in the Pasadena area.
Kathleen served as a teacher in the Pasadena schools from 1955-1967 and
touched the lives of children through her involvement in such organizations
as the Girl Scouts, the Salvation Army, the March of Dimes, the Red Cross
and the Lions’ Crippled Childrens’ Camp. She received the Pasadena
Chamber of Commerce’s Humanitarian Award in 1992 and was named the
Pasadena ISD’s Distinguished Citizen in 1997.
Billie, a World War II veteran, worked for Champion Papers for 40 years
and then became the Corporate Manager for Safety for S&B Engineering.
He was an avid volunteer in the schools and served on the Pasadena ISD
Board of Trustees from 1968-1980. His involvement with children also included
serving as a chairman of the Boy Scout Council and as an advisory board
member of the Salvation Army. He was an active leader at the First United
Methodist Church of Pasadena, and in several civic organizations, including
the Lions Club and Pasadena
Rotary Club.
Billie and Kathleen were also very active as mentors in the Helping One
Student To Succeed (HOSTS) program. In addition, the two were tireless
supporters of any efforts that would improve learning opportunities for
the children of Pasadena ISD.
Billie and Kathleen Morris
