Jim Morris is the oldest of 13 children. After high school he served in the US Army finance office at Ft. Riley, Kansas before being deployed to Vietnam in July 1965. ​After Vietnam he moved to Rochester, NY where he graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with an associate degree and then from Empire State College, State University of New York with a BS in Business Administration.

While living in Rochester Jim began taking flying lessons and received his commercial pilot’s certificate. He also began climbing the high peaks in the northeast and became an Adirondack 46er, having completed climbing all 46 peaks over 4,000 ft in the Adirondacks. He continued climbing in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine and became the 531st , 111ers of The Northeastern USA. ​After Rochester Jim spent 1 year living in Venezuela managing a small team installing a computer system at the Venezuelan national steel company.

​Upon returning from Venezuela Jim moved to Cherry Hill, NJ and became a co-owner of a printing company with his brother and joined a Rotary Club. He has served as president of two different Rotary Clubs in New Jersey. As a Rotarian he was instrumental in a major international project to build a home for 300 orphans and poor children in the Dominican Republic where he helped raise over $200,000 to pay for the construction of a dormitory for the children. He then helped found the Orchid Foundation to transfer the “orphanage” project from Rotary to the non-profit foundation which has raised over $1 million over a 30 year period to continue to support the children.

About 10 years ago Jim moved to Charleston. He transferred his Rotary membership where he has served as program chairman for several years. While in Charleston Jim served as quartermaster for VFW Post 445 for four years as well as becoming a Civil Air Patrol member serving as their squadron personnel officer. He is also a 3rd degree Knight of the Knights of Columbus. ​Jim’s first exposure to politics occurred when he voted for his dad for mayor of Olean, NY decades ago. In South Carolina he became active in local politics including being elected as his precinct Executive Committeeman. He has been a board member of a Charleston area political club and currently serves as their program chairman.

NOTE:

Michael Sun, retired Taiwanese Colonel and professor at the Citadel agreed to work with me on the presentation. He has the first part of the presentation discussing SE Asia and Cambodia and I will complete the presentation with our trip to Cambodia.