Nancy Kearns Morris blazed trail of community leadership
Those attending today’s memorial service at St. John Episcopal Church in Youngstown for Nancy Kearns Morris recognize the gold standard of civic leadership she achieved throughout her life.
Scores and scores of others who will not attend this morning’s fitting celebration of the civic activist and philanthropist never met Mrs. Kearns Morris but have benefited greatly from her lifetime of community service.
In short, Mrs. Kearns Morris of Liberty, who died recently at age 89, rose as a true results-focused leader. No, she was not a mayor, township trustee, school board member or other elected public official in the realm of politics.
Rather she channeled her talented and committed leadership acumen toward a wide variety of community, civic and civil-rights causes close to her heart. Collectively, they have made Greater Youngstown a better place for all.
Consider a few of the domains in which the New York-born woman has left her mark on the Mahoning Valley.
For many, she served as the face behind the community-minded initiatives of the Youngstown YWCA, including housing and supportive services for homeless women and victims of domestic violence. She also thrust herself into a prime mission of the national YWCA in working to achieve greater racial justice in communities across the United States.
CIVIL-RIGHTS LEGACY
Locally, that longstanding commitment to civil rights dates back to the 1960s, when she and her first husband helped to establish the Episcopal Society for Cultural and Racial Unity, one of the first mainstream religious groups to take a strong and visible stand against racism and segregation.
Mrs. Kearns Morris also was a stalwart leader of the Junior League of Youngstown, an organization committed to promoting volunteerism and developing the full potential of women.
Her passion for St. John Episcopal and its community outreach was unbounded. She became the first female senior warden of its vestry, chairwoman of various commissions and co-founder of the St. John’s Soup Kitchen, now known as The Red Door Cafe, which has served thousands of meals to the less fortunate for more than 30 years.
Mrs. Kearns Morris’ talents also transcended community service. As a devoted watercolorist, she recently was recognized at the 35th Annual YWCA Women Artists Exhibition, which she co-founded in 1983. She also demonstrated a flair for writing as part of the Scribblers literary group in Youngstown and found time to treasure local history as a board member of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society and supported landscape enhancement and aesthetic enrichment via her work with Youngstown CityScape.
Her multidimensional talents and ability to inspire others to greatness truly brand her as a trailblazing leader. Her selfless drive to improve her community brings to mind this passage from 19th century philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
To be sure, Nancy Kearns Morris has left a long trail of good works for many to follow for years and decades to come.