Former Hudson resident a legend in her own time
Recently I had occasion to chat at some length with longtime Hudson and area resident Jean Morrison. Now 97 and currently living in Winnipeg (she moved there in 2011 to be closer to family), she assured me her mind and spirit remain as finely honed and sprightly as ever.
“I attribute this to what I call, ‘Laughter in the Face of Death,’ ” Morrison said. “And to date laughter is still winning. Big time!”
Morrison’s family had moved to Hudson in 1966, on the eve of Canada’s 100th birthday, where she immediately became involved in local celebratory activities, especially those focused on matters related to family history.
Across the years, in between other assignments, she developed a deep interest in oral history. She would seek out a likely subject from among the local community’s older folks, especially those familiar with the region’s early development — and then ask them to tell their story, unfettered, and tape-record the results.
Over time, she accumulated a now priceless collection of tapes, all of which are currently housed in the centre-of-town Hudson Museum.
Nevertheless, when time came to relocate to Winnipeg, Morrison was all for the new adventure.
Her new roots were barely in place when daughter, Bernice, casually mentioned that a local hot spot was hosting an open-mic session, with cash prizes. Without hesitating, Jean said, “Let’s go.”
Morrison was about to sample her first taste of celebrity — what some might call notoriety — in Winnipeg. With one of her 64 flamboyant hats in hand, mother and daughter hightailed it to the selected venue, and when called upon, Jean took to her role like the true vaudevillian she, apparently, always knew she was.
“I had an advantage,” she recalled recently. “I had a lifetime of material already in store, and since it was all true, I didn’t have to memorize it!”
She hit the stage running, and when the cheering stopped, she discovered she had placed among the winners. However, unlike the others, when it came to handing out the cash awards, she declined.
“I was doing it all for the fun,” she said. “The others contestants were hoping to win money. How could I stand in their way?”
Her recent return into the scary land of improv a couple of months ago that caught everyone’s attention. The Winnipeg Exhibition had announced it was hosting a senior talent night and Morrison, by now 97, was determined to step up one more time.
Once again she triumphed, this time finishing third.
Writer Nadya Pankiw was so taken by Morrison’s accomplishment that the Winnipeg Free Press reporter devoted almost a full article singing the praises of this remarkable woman and her equally remarkable feat.
The headline said it all: “Why did the Senior Cross the Road? To leave the Ex crowd in stitches.”
It could not have been otherwise!