Article by Julie Waechter, special to Adams State
The Adams State University Foundation will present Ted Morrison ’69 with its Willis Fassett Jr. Award-Individual in appreciation of his decades of support for the university. The award will be presented at the annual Donor & Student Recognition Dinner, October 15.
“Ted has been involved with Adams State his entire life, and he continues to give of his personal time in retirement,” said Joe Martinez, president of the Foundation Board of Directors. “He has been instrumental in the success of the Grizzly Club and the Foundation and is very committed to supporting our students.”
Morrison said he is forever grateful that, after his father died when he was 15, Adams State hired his mother and trained her for a position in computing. “I have a great admiration for Adams State for what they did for us. If I could do more, I would,” he said.
Named in honor of the late Willis Fassett Jr., a long-time president of the Adams State University Foundation Board, the annual award recognizes strong financial supporters of Adams State. The award includes the Buffalo Chant bronze, created specifically for the Foundation by the late William Moyers, Class of 1939.
Morrison, a retired physician’s assistant, and his late wife, Janet ’69, owned and operated Arby’s Restaurant in Alamosa for 27 years. They created the San Luis Valley’s Arby’s All-Star basketball tournament, now in its 40th year. Morrison still manages the event, but credits his daughter and son-in-law, Melissa ’21 and Chaz Moeller ’98, with taking on a lot of the work. The event showcases valley boys’ and girls’ senior basketball players and raises about $8,000 a year, which is split into basketball scholarships for the top male and female players.
“I am so thankful the All-Star game came to something good. We have grandpas, grandmas … the whole community come out to support kids. I’ve seen kids learn that their enemy can be their friend. I get cards thanking me. That fills my heart,” Morrison added.
Morrison has served on the Grizzly Club Board of Directors since the late ’80s, and Janet was a past president of the Adams State Alumni Association. They were honored for their support with the 1999 Billy Adams Award and the 2017 Grizzly Club-Individual Partner of the Year Award, and Arby’s received the 2012 Grizzly Club-Corporate Partner of the Year Award. Morrison is a member of the Foundation’s Billy Adams Society, which is for donors who include the university in their estate plans.
But Morrison is not merely a donor; he works to build the Grizzly Club membership and finances. He initiated the Adams State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000, aided by Jack Cotton, Spud Orr ’50, and Marv Motz ’58, ’59, and raised funds from local banks.
“I was on the Grizzly Club Board, and I got to thinking, ‘We have all these All-Americans and national champions, but no hall of fame,’” Morrison recalled. In appreciation of that, the Grizzly Club created the “Ted and Janet Morrison ’69 Special Citation” for others who follow their example. “Then I thought, ‘We’re a teacher’s college, so why not an Educators Hall of Fame?’” That tradition to honor Adams State alumni in the education profession was begun in 2011. Morrison was also an early advocate for Adams State’s nursing program.
Another of Morrison’s pet projects is the Grizzly Club’s Dream Endowment. He launched the fund by organizing a Corvette raffle that raised several thousand dollars. “My dream is to eventually fund a full-ride scholarship for every sport,” he explained, adding donations to the fund are still being accepted.
