Jack Morris – Obituary
Jack Morris, a longtime ASM member and friend to many in the club, passed away on 1/16/21 after a brief illness; he was 80 years old. Jack is survived by his daughter Amanda, and his friend Dianne Fogel. Jack was a Colonel, USAF (Retired) and a Vietnam veteran who had a distinguished career in the development of aircraft munitions and weaponry. Jack had resided in Santa Fe, NM, since 1994.
Jack joined IPMS/USA back in the 1960s; he had a coveted, low membership number of 716 and was an experienced national contest judge. Our club membership records show him on the roster going back to 2000 but I recall first meeting him at a local scale modeling show in the late 1990s.
In retirement, Jack had a second career as a graphic artist, specifically producing aircraft profiles and decal sheets for the scale modeling hobby. He was well known in our club for the custom decal sheets he graciously produced for club members; a 1/48 VNAF Criquet sheet he produced for me a decade ago is the most prized decal sheet in my collection.
Most of all, I remember Jack for his wit and comradery, joining us at our after-meeting Village Inn diner gatherings and sharing a wealth of information about aircraft, the Vietnam War, scale modeling and IPMS. His passing is a real loss for the club. I once asked Jack what his favorite aircraft from the Vietnam War was, and without hesitation, he said it was the Phantom. I can’t think of a better tribute from ASM members than building a Vietnam-era F-4 Phantom II jet model this year to honor his memory.
