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Taylor Group Traveling to Liberia for Dedication, Cornerstone Laying of Samuel Morris Center

  • By: Jim Garringer, Director of Media Relations
  • Published:
Sammy Statues

Outgoing Taylor University President Eugene B. Habecker and his wife Marylou will lead a group from Taylor University next week on a trip to the West-African nation of Liberia for the dedication of a facility named for a Liberian who is revered as one of Taylor’s most notable students.

The Dedicatory Ceremony of the Samuel Morris Residential Guesthouse and Cornerstone Laying Ceremony for the Samuel Morris Educational Resource and Conference Center will be held on Thursday, May 26, in Farmersville, Sinoe County, Liberia.

The facility’s namesake Samuel Morris was a student at Taylor University in the early 1890s. His faith, life, and untimely death during only his second year at Taylor so impacted the school that residence halls have borne his name and a statue garden on Taylor’s campus was dedicated in Morris’ honor and memory. Morris’ life was also the subject of several books including Angel in Ebony and Samuel Morris: Missionary to America.

The Morris Center is the result of a partnership with Taylor University, the Sinoe County Association of the Americas (SCAA), and local agencies in Liberia. The relationship with the SCAA began 17 years ago when members of that association first heard the story of Samuel Morris. Additionally, Ambassador Enterprises of Fort Wayne is partnering with the effort through the development and implementation of a mathematics and science-based curriculum for children in Sinoe County.

The Habeckers will lead a group of Taylor staff members who include: Jeff Miller, Assistant Director of the Spencer Centre for Global Engagement; Joyce Wood, Senior Director of Parent and Community Relations; and Jim Garringer, Director of Media Relations.