Morris named to Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame
Local philanthropist Dorothy Morris, along with six other women and one organization, will be inducted into the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame in October.
The sixth annual class of inductees has made “significant contributions to the state and their respective fields, and stand as positive examples for women everywhere,” a news release said.
For more than 30 years, Morris has actively organized her time and resources to develop a hands-on approach when it comes to helping her community. Her passion for the arts, feeding the hungry, providing access to medical care, and programs benefiting women and children is her way of “leaving the world a little better” than she found it.
“My philanthropy work for over 30 years has been joyful for me, and I never even thought about being rewarded,” Morris said.
“I’m rewarded all the time with the people I’ve helped become the best they could be. I’m just stunned and honowred.”
According to the release, Morris offers her support to more than 50 nonprofit organizations annually, including Garvan Woodland Gardens, the Arkansas Rice Depot, and the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. However, Morris says she has always focused specifically on organizations centered around helping children, like Youth Ranches, THEA Foundation,
and theater, dance, film, health and education programs.
“I’ve supported a lot of children’s programs and that gives me great satisfaction to see them grow and be contributing citizens. It’s a very rewarding feeling. I really do enjoy working with children and teenagers,” she said.
“I grew up in a very modest family in Hot Spring County, and I knew the value of a dollar,” she said. “I remember wearing hand-me-down clothes. But I always had a lot of drive in me and I wanted to make things happen, I wanted to improve things … I never wanted that many material things so (her husband Walter) had made a lot of money on the stock market — he was from Wall Street — and we just spent that money on good causes. I just loved every minute of it. I love giving and it’s just a wonderful, rewarding feeling,” Morris said.
Morris also co-founded the philanthropic group Hot Springs Giving Circle with Don Munro in 2007. The circle is made up of a group of contributors who meet throughout the year to consider grant proposals from a variety of organizations and vote on where best to disburse the funds.
Morris does the majority of her work through her namesake foundation. Since 1983, she and her late husband, Walter, made several contributions to the community and growth of Hot Springs through the Morris
Foundation.
“The Morris Foundation is a small foundation, and I feel that even with my small foundation, I have worked with so many different nonprofits. You can make an impact with just a little bit of money, you know,” Morris said.
“I do very thoughtful things, you know. I’m a hands-on type of philanthropist. I work with a lot of (nonprofit leaders), and it’s been a great education and rewarding for me … I have thoroughly enjoyed my career, that’s for sure.”
The AWHOF said in the release it depends on the public “to nominate extraordinary women for induction” and looks for those who “have made a major impact on the lives of others and helped to elevate the status of women in our state, our nation, and, in some case, around the world.” Earlier this year, the board empaneled a selection committee to seek nominations from the public and help choose the class, it said.
“We are pleased to add these Arkansas women to the ranks of past inductees whose leadership and achievements have opened doors and broken down barriers for the future generations that follow behind them, “Anna Beth Gorman, chair of the AWHOF board, said in the release.
“The AWHOF honors women whose contributions have influenced the direction of Arkansas in their community or the state. The hall inducts contemporary or historical women who have been born in and achieved prominence within the state, or been a resident of Arkansas for an extended period after achieving prominence here or elsewhere and have: made significant and enduring contributions to their field of endeavor, professional or otherwise; affected the social, cultural, economic or political well-being of the community, state or nation; elevated the status of women and positively impacted women and girls; helped open new frontiers for women and for society in general; or inspired others by their example,” it said.
Other inductees include professor Margaret Louise Sirman Clark, business leader and philanthropist Cynthia L. Conger, former state Rep. Carolyn Pollan, children’s advocate Amy Rossi, the late singer, songwriter, guitarist, and recording artist Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the late political activist Mary Brown “Brownie” Williams Ledbetter, and the nonprofit organization Hispanic Women’s Organization of Arkansas.