Los Angeles
County
Biographies
DONALD
WALTER MORRIS, D. D. S.
Dr.
Donald Walter Morris, a native son of California, and
prominent in social, club and fraternity circles of the San Gabriel Valley, is
a successful and prominent dentist who has his offices in his own modern
building at 1224 East Main Street in Alhambra.
He
is one of six children of Albert J. Morris, a ship’s captain, born in Kansas,
and Grace (Roberts) Morris, born in California.
Dr. Morris went to Seal Beach Grammar School, for two years to
Huntington Beach High School, graduated from San Pedro High School and attended
Long Beach Junior College for two years.
After seven years of working as chemist for Pacific Coast Borax Co., he
took a year’s study course at Compton Junior College. For his junior year he went to the University
of California at Berkeley, and received his Bachelor of Science degree in
Psychology from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1937. Again he worked as a chemist until 1942, but
from that time on he continued and completed his
studies at the University of Southern California Dental College. He received his degree as Doctor of Dental
Surgery in 1945. He took postgraduate
work at the University of Southern California and University of California at
Los Angeles Extension.
Dr.
Morris took up practice in 1946, and opened his first dental offices at 817
East Main Street in Alhambra. In 1961 he
moved into his own new building with the latest and most modern equipment.
On
June 5, 1936, Dr. Morris married Hazel O. Ronning. Mrs. Morris a past president of the State
Dental Auxiliary, past president of Toastmistresses, and a member of the Order
of the Eastern Star. They have two
children, Karen Suzan Morris is 12 years old, and goes to Foothill Junior High
School. John Edward Morris is 10 years
old, and attends Highland Oaks School.
Thee Morris’ are members of Sierra Madre Methodist Church.
Dr.
Morris is a member of the Alhambra Rotary Club, and was on the board of
directors. He has worked tirelessly on
United Fund, Red Cross and Community Chest drives. His fraternal affiliations include the Alhambra
Masonic Lodge, Al Malaikah Temple of Los Angeles, Elks Lodge No. 1328 of
Alhambra and the Eastern Star of which is a past patron.
Professionally
he belongs to the San Gabriel Valley branch of the Los Angeles County Dental
Society, of which he is currently a board member, the Southern California
Dental and American Dental Societies. He
is a member of the Academy of Applied Nutrition and of the American Hypnodontic
Society. For several years he was
chairman of Alhambra Oral Health Committee, and has served on the board of
directors of county and state dental societies.
Dr. Morris has taught at University of Southern California Extension,
has lectured all over the country for several years and lectured at Pasadena
City College.
His
many hobbies include flying his own plane, for which he has an amateur operator’s
license, fishing, water skiing, bowling, as well as stamp and coin collecting.
His
philosophy is: Service to Mankind.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Historical Volume & Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park,
Rosemead, San Gabriel & Temple City, by Robert P. Studer,
Pages 580-582, Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California. 1962.
© 2013 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES
BIOGRAPHIES