COSAM News Articles 2017 June COSAM Distinguished Alumna honored by LaGrange College

COSAM Distinguished Alumna honored by LaGrange College

Published: 06/22/2017

Nancy Mitchell Morris, chemistry ’64, received the Distinguished Service Alumni Award given by LaGrange College in Georgia. Morris graduated from LaGrange College in 1960 before receiving her master’s degree at Auburn.

Morris was presented the award at LaGrange College’s spring commencement. The annual award recognizes outstanding alumni who continue to serve and support LaGrange College.

Morris, a native of Griffin, Ga., worked for more than 30 years for the United States Department of Agriculture. Her research has been reported in more than 60 publications and presented at more than 40 conferences, both national and international. As a research chemist, she used spectroscopic techniques to study agricultural products, chemically modified products, and their interaction with the environment.

In 1977, she was a member of the Technical Paper Competition Committee that won second place at the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists National Technical Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. She was awarded the USDA Award for Overall Research Performance in 1983, and is a three-time recipient of the USDA Appreciation Award for Performance. In 1991, Morris was presented the Superior Service Award for the USDA, an award she would receive for the next six years. Once listed in the Outstanding Young Women of America, she is a member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, as well as Iota Sigma Pi, the chemistry honor society for women.

Now retired, Morris remains an integral part of many historical, civic and philanthropic organizations. She is a charter member of COSAM’s Society of Women in Sciences and Mathematics and has established scholarships in COSAM, including one in memory of late husband, Cletus, an Auburn graduate. Morris received COSAM’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013.