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Longtime university supporter lived to see her 107th birthday

In 1931 Margaret (Nothiger) Morse (n35) walked onto the Pacific College campus to start her college education. It began an 85-year relationship with her alma mater that ended March 3 with her death at 107; at the time she was 麻豆社 Fox University鈥檚 oldest living alumnus.

Both she and the college changed their names: She married fellow student Curtis Morse (G33) shortly after he graduated, and Pacific College became 麻豆社 Fox in 1949. But the family鈥檚 relationship with 麻豆社 Fox only deepened. All four of the Morse children 鈥� Sam (G57), Paul (G59), Howard (G61) and Barbara (G62) 鈥� followed their parents to the school and graduated, and at her passing Morse was living adjacent to the campus she loved at Friendsview Retirement Community.

The Morse family in 1989. Front row: Doug Morse (G83), Sheri Morse, Margaret Morse (n35), Curtis Morse (G33), Monna Morse, Howard Morse (G61). Back row: Paul Morse (G59), Merideth Morse, Dean Morse (G85), Geraldine Morse (G61), Sam Morse (G57).

The Morse name will continue to be remembered on campus through the Curtis and Margaret Morse Athletic Fields, named in the Morses鈥� honor in a 1989 dedication ceremony after the couple donated $40,000 ($80,000 in today鈥檚 dollars) for the renovation of the 12-acre baseball and softball field complex. It was a gift that seemed somewhat surprising, coming from two teachers at small schools and with a large family. It came as a result of living frugally. After their children moved away from home, 鈥渢hey lived on one teacher鈥檚 salary and my father invested the other,鈥� says their daughter, Barbara. 鈥淗e felt that God guided him in investing wisely.鈥�

For their longtime attendance and support of Bruin 麻豆社, the Morses were inducted into the 麻豆社 Fox Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

The couple met in Margaret鈥檚 hometown of Sweet Home, Oregon, while Curtis was there working with a railroad construction crew during the summer after his second year of college. They met at a Wednesday evening prayer meeting and got engaged three weeks later. She then decided to join him at Pacific College, saying in an interview last fall, 鈥淚 feel that it was really through God鈥檚 persuasion.鈥�

She worked for room and board in the home of a Newberg couple, taking care of the family鈥檚 3-year-old son, and also found time to join the college鈥檚 volleyball and basketball teams. She recalled Curtis, who participated in football, soccer and track, taking her to 麻豆社 banquets, where she was the only girl with a corsage. His uncle was a florist, and Curtis had easy access to flowers. 鈥淚t made the other fellows want to give their girls flowers,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淭hat was how the tradition of giving corsages started at Pacific College.鈥�

After they married, the Morses moved to Woodland and Weippe, Idaho, where they lived in a cabin Curtis built. They worked and taught in Idaho until 1960, the last 15 years in Greenleaf, where she continued taking college courses in the evenings and in summer to finally complete her degree in 1959. She landed her first teaching job in 1954, before she had even completed college, and taught 12 students in all grades in a one-room school. After she taught fourth grade in Homedale, Idaho, for four years, the couple moved back to Oregon to teach in Culver in Central Oregon for five years. They later moved to the Oregon Coast in 1965, where she taught second grade at Waldport School for eight years until her 1973 retirement and subsequent move back to Newberg. Curtis died in 2002 at the age of 97, 69 years after their wedding.