Ronald Brian Morgan

REMEMBERING RON MORGAN Sadly, passing away following a lengthy heart-related illness on May 1, Ron Morgan was the longtime former parliamentarian of the Brevard Republican Executive Committee (BREC). But he was so much more than that. Packed into his 82 years of living, Ron also was an aerospace engineer, the recipient of several awards and honors, an inventor, a volunteer advocate for seniors, operator of a website for future scientists, and an author. Born in Jamaica, New York, he graduated from Manhattan College and worked as a design engineer with Douglas Aircraft Company in Santa Monica, California; and as the lead engineer and group leader with McDonnell Douglas Corporation at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. Among the honors he received were for assisting on NASA’s Apollo Program, the Space Shuttle Return to Flight Group Achievement Award, and the STEM Mentor of the Year award. Ron designed the first aircraft emergency lighting system used on commercial aircraft, the first series of hand-held electrical/electronic test equipment for commercial aircraft, the first integrated logistics system for all NASA Kennedy Space Center facilities, the integrated logistics system for the mirror fusion project at the Lawrence Livermore Labs, and the first integrated data system used for configuration management of Spacelab payloads flown on the Space Shuttle. He also served as a volunteer on the Brevard Commission on Aging Advisory Board; the Senior Resource Alliance Advocacy Council; the Board of Directors of Brevard County TRIAD (which is a partnership of the Sheriff’s Office, local law enforcement and the State’s Attorney Office to address senior issues); and the Advisory Council to Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs. Through his International Science Center website, Ron worked to develop future space and defense professionals by making science, technology, engineering and math exciting to students, by connecting them to everything they could want to learn about all known discoveries of space, earth and sea. A history buff, Ron wrote “The American Spirit in the New Millennium – The Flag of the United States – The Challenge of the Fourth Estate” in 2001. This book describes the history and design of the American flag; discusses the flag's meaning and importance in American culture and society; speaks to the concepts of law, freedom and free speech and their relationship to the American flag; explores the fourth estate history and flag paranoia; and presents the pros & cons for the Flag Amendment.” When it came to his support for BREC, Ron – a stickler – was never at a loss for words to correct anyone not following “Robert’s Rules Of Order” – the gold standard for parliamentary procedure. Ron is survived by five children and five grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at the Church Of Our Saviour, 5301 N. Atlantic Avenue in Cocoa Beach, at 11 am on June 2. The Editor enjoyed numerous interesting and enjoyable conversations with Ron over the past decade. He will be missed. RIP Ron.