James Markus Morgan Jr. of Lexington, Virginia, died peacefully on January 2, 2021 at the age of 97.
Jim was born in Richmond on August 11, 1923.
He was preceded in death by his parents, James M. Morgan and Eleanora Veronica O'Hara Morgan; his wife, Jean Aldhizer Morgan; and his daughter-in-law, Mary Beth Kastelberg Morgan.
He is survived by his daughter, Mary James Fulton (William); sons, James Stuart Morgan (Barbara Zavanelli-Morgan) and James M. Morgan III; and grandsons, James M. Morgan IV and William Lyons Morgan.
Jim graduated from Benedictine High School in 1941. Matriculating with the Class of 1945 at Virginia Military Institute in September 1941, he subsequently volunteered for Army active duty following Pearl Harbor.
At the end of World War II, he received an appointment to West Point, but was given a medical discharge following a training accident. He returned to VMI and graduated with a B.S. in civil engineering in 1946. Joining the Civil Engineering faculty immediately following graduation, he taught for 19 years as an instructor, professor and department head, and served another 19 years as dean of the faculty before retiring in 1984.
He also earned an M.S. in sanitary engineering in 1948 and a Ph.D. in water resources engineering in 1959, both from Johns Hopkins University. Upon retirement from VMI, he became a partner in two environmental engineering consulting firms and remained active in the profession until 1999.
In 2007, VMI honored him by dedicating Morgan Hall as a learning laboratory for civil and environmental engineering.
Jim served for 35 years in both active and reserve duty in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to, or consulted at, more than 40 Army installations in the United States and overseas. A gifted speaker, he also authored numerous publications and books covering engineering and history.
A long-standing member and historian of the St. Patrick Catholic Parish in Lexington, he also supported the community in roles with the VMI Foundation Board of Trustees, the Stonewall Jackson Hospital Board of Directors, and as a board member of multiple local banks. He was appointed a member of the Virginia State Board of Health by two governors and was the first engineer to serve as its chairman.
A lifelong resident of Lexington, his was a record of devotion and service to his family, VMI and the community. He will be remembered as a loving husband and father, scholar, officer and a gentleman with a remarkable memory and sense of humor.
The family would like to express our deepest gratitude to the staff, doctors and nurses at the Benjamin Borden Health Center and Webster Assisted Living Center of Kendal at Lexington for their exceptional support and compassionate care.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Patrick Catholic Church at a future date, followed by a private interment.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Jim's name to (a) Benedictine College Preparatory, 12829 River Road, Richmond, VA 23238, (b) the Gen. J. H. Binford Peay III '62 Endowment for Academic Excellence, c/o VMI Foundation, Inc., 304 Letcher Ave., Lexington, VA 24450 or (c) to a charitable organization of your choice.
