Marvin and June Morrison

On Friday, October 30, 1998, the School of Management and Agribusiness was officially renamed the Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness. The naming of the school was in honor of Marvin and June Morrison for their gift of a large tract of farmland to the school and their ongoing support of Arizona State University.

Marvin and June Morrison have served Arizona in a distinguished capacity as cotton farmers, range cattlemen, and dairymen. They met in grade school in Gilbert, Arizona and have supported their community for over half the century. Both graduates of ASU, they are highly respected in the East Valley as well as the state. Their family businesses include the Morrison Farms, Morrison Ranch, Arizona Dairy Company, and Windmill Ranch.

In addition to monetary contributions, Marvin and June have given their valuable time to numerous community organizations.  Marvin (1924-2007) served on numerous boards and advisory committees, among them the Arizona Cooperative Extension Advisory Board, Arizona Public Service, and the Maricopa County School Boards Association. He served as an advisor to the State Board of Education and chairs both the Community Advisory Board for Chandler-Gilbert Community College, and the Mesa Community College Advisory Board for Agricultural Studies. He was a member of Arizona's first Atomic Energy Commission.  His enthusiastic leadership has been of particular importance to the Arizona Farm Bureau, the Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation, and the Arizona Town Hall, which he helped to establish. He has twice been named Man of the Year in Arizona Agriculture and holds the National Partner in 4-H Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Other honors include the Arizona State University College of Public Programs Distinguished Achievement Award and the University of Arizona Distinguished Citizen Award and Extensionist of the Year Award.  June Morrison has served as the secretary of Chandler Community Hospital as well as her church's women's organization.  June is also active with the American Heart Association.  The ASU Alumni Association has recognized both June and Marvin Morrison with its Alumni Service Award.

When well past the "traditional" age for college students, Marvin completed bachelor's and master's degree studies at ASU with an enviable academic record. In honor of his contributions as a role model for life long learning, the ASU Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness recognizes its most outstanding students with the Marvin Morrison Leadership Awards.  In 1992, Arizona State University presented Mr. Morrison with the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters for his numerous contributions to ASU and the state of Arizona.

Faith in the future is a family characteristic among the Morrisons. In fact, because June and Marvin Morrison and their family wanted to create a resource to help ensure a quality future for Arizona, they were instrumental in the development of the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at ASU, which has provided important research and assistance to Arizona's policy makers for the past decade.

True philanthropists, the Morrison's have embraced a vision of life which demonstrates benevolence, life-long learning, respect for their fellow human being, civic responsibility, education, support for programs which foster the continued development of youth, and the true "spirit of the west": entrepreneurs in word and action. 

Mr. Morrison has been quoted as saying, "There is an old Indian saying that a man is not measured by what he has, but by what he gives away, and I really believe that!"