Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Roy W. Morse papers, 1905-2000
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Morse, Roy W
- Title
- Roy W. Morse papers
- Dates
- 1905-2000 (inclusive)19052000
- Quantity
- 1.12 cubic feet (3 boxes)
- Collection Number
- 6089 (Accession No. 6089-001)
- Summary
- Professional papers and writings, including speeches, photographs, and scrapbooks, from Roy W. Morse's career as the City Engineer in Seattle, Washington
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Open to all users.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Roy W. Morse was born in Seattle in 1906 and earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Washington and his graduate degree at Harvard University. He married his college sweetheart, Elizabeth Hedges, in 1929.
Morse began his career at Boeing in 1934, where he worked as an engineer guiding the development of warplanes and commercial aircraft for ten years. When Chester Morse, superintendent of the city Water Department and Roy's father, died in 1949, Mayor William Devin hired Roy Morse. Roy Morse made a name for himself in the department, pressing the Water Department to build pipelines and secure reservoirs to supply clean water to Seattle and its suburbs. In 1957, Morse became Seattle's city engineer, a post he held for 14 years. In that role, he headed major civic projects including the permanent creation of Seattle Center after the 1962 World's Fair.
Throughout his career, Morse won numerous engineering honors. He was named Engineer of the Year in 1965 by the American Society of Civil Engineers and was president of the national and state chapters of the American Public Works Association. Additionally, he wrote two local histories of Fauntleroy, the West Seattle neighborhood where he lived for over 50 years, that drew on interviews with some of its oldest residents. While the neighborhood is known for its spacious homes and spectacular views, Morse wrote that it was "the church, the school and the community center" that held the community together.
Roy Morse died in 2002.
Source: http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20021121&slug=morseobit21m
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Professional papers and writings, including speeches, photographs, and publications, from Roy Morse's career as an engineer for the city of Seattle. The collection also contains a scrapbook Morse received upon retiring, as well as photographs of various engineering projects around Seattle both before and during Morse's career.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Status of creator's copyrights is unknown; restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Users are responsible for researching copyright status before use.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1/1 | Dartmouth vs. Washington Stadium Opening
Program A program commemorating the first college football game played in
Husky Stadium (then called Washington Stadium). The program includes images of
construction of the stadium and a history of the project. Washington lost to
Dartmouth 28-7 in the last game of the 1920 season.
|
November 27, 1920 |
1/2 | Engineering Projects Photographs Images of Washington Stadium being built from May 10-November 20,
1920, courtesy of P.S. Bridge and Dredging Co.; images of regrading projects:
3rd Avenue Excavation (1905), Denny regrade (1906-1907), Washington Hotel with
Counterbalanced Trolley (1905), Hydraulic Boring into Denny Hill at Blanchard
Street, and 7th Avenue Fill South from Stewart Street (1906); negatives of city
maps.
|
1905-1920 |
1/3 | Correspondence | 1991-1998 |
1/4 | Speeches | 1950-1965 |
1/5 | Speeches | 1950-1965 |
1/6 | Speeches | 1966-1979 |
1/7 | Speeches | 1966-1979 |
1/8 | Speeches | 1966-1979 |
1/9 | "Report on the Ravenna Sewer for Mr. R.W. Morse" by Robert
H. Burns Contains photographs, including an aerial photo of a sinkhole in
Ravenna, photos of sewer pipes, and photos of men working on construction and
engineering projects
|
1963 |
1/10 | "Seattle's Catastrophic Ravenna Cave-In" by Roy W. Morse | November 1957 |
2/1 | Roy Morse's Civil Government Award Nomination Packet | 1971-1991 |
2/2 | "Cedar River Watershed: Habitat Conservation Plan" | May 1999 |
2/3 | "Regrading Years in Seattle" by Roy Morse | 1989 |
2/4 | "American Society of Civil Engineers Seattle Section Membership Directory" | 1991-1993 |
2/5 | "The Engineers Club Roster" | 1994 |
2/6 | "Public Works Oral History Interview" Numbers 1-5, 7, 9 | September 1980-October 1992 |
Box | ||
3 | Scrapbook of Memories from Roy Morse's Service as City
Engineer Contains highlights, mostly photographs, from Roy Morse's fourteen
years as City Engineer for Seattle. Images include Morse on sites at work,
giving and receiving various engineering awards, at conventions, meeting
significant people, in Engineering Department staff group photos, at openings,
giving speeches, attending meetings, presiding over other retirements, and at
luncheons, as well as a department organizational chart, a magazine cover
featuring Morse, and letters of congratulations about his retirement from the
Board of Public Works and Morse's daughter, Alice.
|
April 23, 1971 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Aeronautical engineers--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Buildings--Construction--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
- Football--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Sewerage--Photographs
Personal Names
- Morse, Roy W.--Archives
Corporate Names
- Husky Stadium (Seattle, Wash.)--Construction--Photographs
Geographical Names
- Ravenna (Seattle, Wash.)--Photographs
Form or Genre Terms
- Ephemera
- Photographs
- Records (Documents)
- Scrapbooks
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)