Dr. Warren began his teaching career in the Phoenix Elementary School District where he taught at Dunbar. He was soon named principal of Booker T. Washington. He earned a master’s degree in 1951, and a doctorate degree in 1959, both from ASU, in educational administration and supervision. In 1968, he took the position of associate professor in the College of Education at ASU and was promoted to full professor in 1974.
At the beginning of the 1973 school year, a racial crisis developed at South Mountain High School and Dr. Warren was called upon to resolve the situation. For the 1973-74 academic year, he accepted the challenge of concurrently serving as professor at ASU and principal at South Mountain High School. During his tenure at ASU, he was the first and only director of the I.D. Payne Laboratory of Education, a research arm for the College of Education, devoted to maintaining and developing relationships with the public schools.
Dr. Warren contributed to the Valley community by serving as a member of the Phoenix City Council beginning in 1965 and as vice-mayor in 1969. He was a member of the Arizona Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and served as chairman for ten years. He was also involved with the Head Start program from its inception in Arizona in 1964. Dr. Warren was a member of numerous Valley boards and committees. He was proud to have been president of the 1981-82 Fiesta Bowl, the year the bowl game took on the challenge of playing on New Year’s Day.
Dr. Morrison Warren garnered a host of awards, including the Brotherhood Award and the James Creasman Award. The Valley Leadership Visionary Award that Dr. Warren received captured the essence of his lifelong commitment to improve the lives of people in the Valley and the rest of Arizona.
