LFLB History Museum

Harold Morrison: Service and Science

Harold M. Morrison (1932-2018) was devoted to giving back to his community and those surrounding in countless ways through his life.

First grade.
Born at Alice Home Hospital in 1932 to Willard Langdon Morrison and Lois Mae Wiedman, Harold attended school in Lake Forest at Halsey and Gorton.

Fourth grade.

Harold spent his childhood through high school in Lake Forest. He was graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and received a Masters in Engineering Sciences from Purdue University.

Wedding photo printed in the Chicago Tribune, June 12, 1955.

In 1955, he married Adeline Steans at First Presbyterian Chuch in Lake Forest. He went to work for General Motors Research Laboratories and then IBM. After living in various parts of the country on work assignments, Harold returned to Lake Forest, with his family, to take up residence in the early 1970s. Thereafter, Harold went to work for General Motors Research Laboratories and then IBM.


Harold Morrison served as an alderman for the City of Lake Forest's Third Ward from 1985 to 1991. As a community leader, he used his expertise to facilitate the arrival of cable television in Lake Forest; he also helped shepherd the expansion of the city to include the Conway Farms property.

Third Ward aldermen Sidney Paige and Harold Morrison at Waukegan Road and Deerpath, 1985.
Harold Morrison (center) in front of First Presbyterian Church.

He was an Elder and active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest, where he also sang in the choir for over 40 years.

Harold Morrison (far right) singing at Lake Forest's 125th anniversary celebration in front of the East Lake Forest train station.

Harold was known for his love of music. His strong tenor voice was a staple for many years with the "Commuters" barbershop quartet group.

Harold possessed a strong sense of obligation to contribute in ways he could to improve the lives of others. He was devoted to history and served as a board member of the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society (now History Center).

He loved science and was committed to protecting water quality. When computers were first introduced into the public school system, Harold spent endless hours working at North Lawndale College Prep Charter High School and at schools in North Chicago to ensure classrooms were computer-ready.

Together with his wife, Addie, he started a family foundation as a way of bringing his family together to make a difference in the world.

Harold Morrison (right) and his brother Ed at the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society, 2007, during an exhibit on local inventors that featured their father Willard Morrison.