Clarence Morris was born on March 29, 1891.  Soon after his birth his parents moved to Mt. Vernon, Ohio. This was where he spent his childhood years. When it was time for school, he attended Mt. Vernon Adventist Academy.  Washington Missionary College claimed him as a student for the next four years, graduating in 1916.

The Cristman family also moved to Mt. Vernon, Ohio about the same time that the Morris family moved there.  They had a daughter by the name of Florence.  Very early a friendship developed between Clarence and this pretty blond.  He could not forget her all those years he was away, so after graduation they were married on May 22, 1916.

Clarence had already received a call from the Mission Board of the Seventh-day Adventist church to go to China.  Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Brines were on the same boat and they became very close friends.  The Brines family  were to be stationed in Shanghai while the Morris family continues on board until they reached Hong Kong.  Here they were met by Elder P.V. Thomas, the secretary and treasurer of the South China Mission.  Elder B. L. Anderson, the superintendent, had served in the Fukien Province since 1906 and could give good advice to Clarence.  

“The workers in Amoy had long wished to enter Foochow, in the northern part of Fukien Province.  But another dialect was spoken there, and none of the believers in Amoy could speak it.  In this situation, Pastor Keh gave himself to the study of the Foochowese; and in 1913, he opened work in that district.  Next year, a church was organized, and a girls school and boys school were started, the latter growing into our Foochow Intermediate Schools for workers.”  Our Story of Missions, by W.A. Spicer.  

It was again a very happy day for Pastor Keh as he met the new missionaries.  They, too, were anxious to learn this foreign language so they could get to work.  Two little ones soon made the home active with children’s voices.  The little girl was named Ruth and the boy Robert.  In 1920 Mrs. Morris reported a membership in the Foochow Mission of 255 members.  As the Fukein Mission already had one school in Amoy many of the young members went to the Shanghai College for their higher grades.  

From 1927 to 1930 we find the Morrises in Hong Kong, he as the South China Union director.  Due to the fact that this Union had so many different dialects it was necessary to divide it into six different missions, the Cantonese, Kwangsi, Amoy, Hakka, Swatow, and Foochow.

In 1930 at a meeting Clarence reported of the development of the work during the previous 28 years since the first Seventh-day Adventist missionary arrived in that field. 

 6 Local missions, conducting work in 102 places.

29 Ordained ministers with a membership of 2,246

31 Church schools

3 Intermediate schools (Grades 9-11)

3 Hospitals

42 Foreign missionary families having served.

God had greatly led in spite of heavy civil war during those years.  It was also at this time that the Union Headquarters was moved to a quiet part of the island at Felix Villas.  They also had a private beach and a nice bus service over the Peak and into town to the Star Ferry Building.

During 1930 Elder Morris was relief director of the Swatow Mission as the Nagel family went back to the U.S.A. after serving 21 years in that Union.

The next move was to Shanghai where he was the China Division Treasurer from 1931 to 1939.  This was nice for Robert and Ruth for they could attend the Far Eastern Academy for the missionary children.  They both graduated in 1940.

Robert developed polio in 1932 and had to drop out of school for a year.  Elder Morris was away from home many months of the year traveling over that large land. This made it very difficult for Florence who had to care for Robert alone much of the time. 

On the last trip which Clarence made he took Florence along so she could see many parts of China where she had never been.  In 1940 the family returned to America so the children might enter college.  They settled again in Mt. Vernon where Clarence was the Academy principal for the next four years.  And then he became the treasurer in the Ohio and Pennsylvania Conferences.

After World War II was over, the Morrises again left their homeland for foreign service.  This time it was in Beirut in the Middle East Division for five years. He served his church for forty years and retired in Tucson, Arizona.

On May 10, 1995, I phone Dr. Robert Morris to ask him some questions about his father’s life.  Ruth answered the phone.  She said Bob was dying in the hospital at that moment.  He was confined to a wheel chair ever since his polio. He finished his medical course at Loma Linda University School of Medicine class of 1947 and was a faithful worker for his Master.  We shall miss him!