history

Samuel Brooks Morris received his AB in Civil Engineering from Stanford in May 1911. A native of Los Angeles, Morris returned to Southern California following graduation and went to work for the City of Pasadena. For twenty-two years he was Pasadena's chief engineer and general manager of the water and power department. Despite his lack of academic experience he came to Stanford in 1935 as executive head of the Department of Civil Engineering and was appointed dean of the School of Engineering in 1936, succeeding Theodore Hoover. He served as dean until 1944 when he resigned to return to Los Angeles where he was named head of the municipal power system. He retired in 1955. While in Palo Alto he served as chairman of that city's Board of Public Works.

He served the federal government as a consultant in many capacities, was named to President Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace Committee and Truman's Water Resources Policy Committee, and was a long-time member of California's Colorado River Board. He was a member of Stanford Associates. He died March 6, 1962 at the age of 71. He was survived by two sons (both Stanford graduates), Brooks T. Morris,'34, Engr'38 and Robert F. Morris '36, MBA '38.