Memorial
Donald Pryse Morgan passed away in his sleep on April 22, 2015, at the age of 89, at Meth-Wick Retirement Community in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he had been an active resident since 1997.
Don was born July 22, 1925, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the second son of DeWitt Schuyler Morgan, an educator and superintendent of Indianapolis public schools, and Marie Elizabeth St. Clair Morgan, a homemaker. He received his M.D. from Indiana University through the Navy V12 accelerated medical education program, which was established during World War II to meet a growing need for physicians. He spent two years as a Naval Medical Reserve Officer in the Pacific Trust Territory, and then went on to get his Ph.D. in physiology at Northwestern University.
In June 1952, while studying at Northwestern, Don married Miriam Martsolf Jones, whom he met in the medical library. They reared their family of three children in Wilmette, Illinois, Tucson, Arizona, and Iowa City, Iowa.
Don’s life work in physiology, medicine, and public health spanned direct care as a general practitioner, and teaching and research at Northwestern University, the University of Arizona, and the University of Iowa. At the time of his death he was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Iowa.
Don was a man of quiet integrity and strong work ethic. His quiet demeanor belied a ready laugh and a lively sense of humor. As a worker in public health, he logged many miles on teaching and research trips around the United States and in Africa. In his time off, he enjoyed many happy days hiking in the mountains and boating with his family and playing tennis with his friends.
Don is survived by his wife of 63 years, Miriam Jones Morgan; three children, David (Pat Langley) of Iowa City, Kenelm of Iowa City, and Bronwen (Jeff Zieba) of Berkeley, California; and two grandchildren, Ben and Axel. He is preceded in death by his parents and an older brother, Robert DeWitt Morgan, of Indianapolis.
Don has requested that there be no funeral or memorial service.