Morgan, Anne Murray, 1925-

Anne (Nancy) Murray Morgan (Radcliffe A.B. 1946) married Paul Shepard Morgan (Harvard A.B. 1945) in 1947. They had four children. Paul Morgan was president, CEO, and chair of Morgan Construction Co. Nancy Morgan served on many boards in Worcester, Mass., and was active in Harvard and Radcliffe alumni affairs. Her mother, Margaret Wessell (Piersol) Murray, worked for the American Red Cross during World War I, while her father, Captain Robinson Murray, was an intelligence officer with the American Expeditionary Force. They married in Paris in 1919.

From the description of Papers, 1905-2001 (inclusive). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122521587

Anne (Nancy) Murray Morgan (Radcliffe A.B. 1946) married Paul Shepard Morgan (Harvard A.B. 1945) in 1947. They had four children. Paul Morgan was president, CEO, and chair of Morgan Construction Co. Nancy Morgan served on many boards in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was active in Harvard and Radcliffe alumni affairs. Her mother, Margaret Wessel (Piersol) Murray, worked for the American Red Cross during World War I, while her father, Captain Robinson Murray, was an intelligence officer with the American Expeditionary Force. They married in Paris in 1919.

From the description of Papers, 1890-1996 (inclusive). (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 232009703

Anne (Nancy) Murray Morgan (AMM) was born on August 2, 1925, to Margaret Wessell Piersol and Robinson Murray. She lived in France, 1930-1935, Scarsdale N.Y., 1935-1937, and England, 1937-1939. AMM attended Queens College School in London, England for two years before entering Scarsdale High School, N.Y., in 1939. AMM attended Radcliffe College, class of 1946, where she was treasurer of the Radcliffe Choral Society, treasurer of the Student Government Association, chairman of the Chapel Committee, chairman of the Volunteer Services Committee, and member of the Varsity Swim Team. AMM married Paul Shepard Morgan, Harvard class of 1945 in 1947. He became president, CEO, and chairman of Morgan Construction Company. AMM and Paul Morgan have four children.

At Radcliffe College AMM was a trustee from 1973 to 1985. She served as president of the Radcliffe College Alumnae Association from 1973 to 1975 and was one of the first women to be elected to the Harvard University Board of Overseers where she served on numerous standing and visiting committees. In 1977, she became the first woman to be elected president of the Harvard Alumni Association.

AMM was a prominent leader in educational and cultural organizations. In Worcester, Mass., she served as director of the Worcester Children's Friend Society, president of the Junior League of Worcester, Inc., first woman trustee of the Worcester Memorial Hospital, first woman president of the board of the Worcester Art Museum, member of the American Antiquarian Society, and member of the Director's Council for the Worcester Natural History Museum. She was trustee and overseer of Plimoth Plantation and also served for six years on the Smithsonian National Board and for sixteen years as a director of the People's Savings Bank of Worcester. AMM received many awards and honors for her volunteer work and years of community service. The Morgan Gallery in the Worcester Art Museum is named in her honor.

Margaret Wessell Piersol (MWP), mother of AMM, was born on March 23, 1891, to George Arthur Piersol and Anne Wessell Steel. She graduated from Vassar College, class of 1912, with a major in history. After graduation, MWP taught at the Mary Lyon School in Swarthmore, Penn., while studying for a Ph.D at the University of Pennsylvania. She was preparing her dissertation when, in 1917, MWP volunteered to go to Europe as a nurse's aide with the American Red Cross. She was stationed in France from 1917 to 1919. It was during this time in France that MWP corresponded with, and became engaged to, Robinson Murray. Their marriage took place in Paris on January 29, 1919.

Robinson Murray (RM), AMM's father, was born on December 31, 1890 in Rosindale, Massachusetts, to George Henry Murray and Sarah Octavia Robinson. After graduating from Harvard University in 1912, RM worked in advertising until he enlisted in the United States Army. RM served as an intelligence officer in the Third Division, Thirty Eighth Infantry, American Expeditionary Force in France, eventually rising to the rank of Captain. RM was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion D'Honneur from the French government as well as the Distinguished Service Cross and the Victory Medal from the United States. After returning from France, RM resumed his career in the advertising business.

MWP and RM had three children: Robinson Murray Jr., Margaret Piersol Murray, and Anne (Nancy) Piersol Murray. Over the course of AMM's lifetime, the family lived in Pennsylvania (until 1930), France (1930-1935), England (1937-1939), and Scarsdale, New York. Upon retirement in 1950, RM and MWP moved to Duxbury, Massachusetts, where RM continued his painting in abstract form and exhibited in many venues. MWP died on October 13, 1974. RM died on January 7, 1984.

From the guide to the Papers, 1905-2001, (Radcliffe College Archives, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)