By Happy 100th Birthday, Chris!
Mornings with Morley honors life and legacy of late History Consultant who was also a beloved storyteller and old-fashioned wooden toymaker
Mornings with Morley, published in 2018 by Legacies Unlimited, was the fulfillment of a promise author Ann Hauprich had made to Village of Ballston Spa History Consultant Maurice “Christopher” Morley on the threshold of his 89th birthday in April of 2011. By then, Ann had spent countless hours over a four-year period inside of his Bath Street office assisting with research projects and recording oral history lessons so precious fragments of our past might be preserved for future generations.
While her volunteer duties always began around seven o’clock on weekday mornings, Ann never knew how her mentor, who had struggled with dyslexia as a lad, would bring history to life that day. Once it was the inspiring tale of a one-legged GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) survivor that telegram delivery boy Chris had heard directly from the mouth of an elderly Civil War veteran. Other times Chris would surprise Ann by lifting one of his hand-carved wooden toys down from a shelf. Each toy had a name – from “Daisy, The Dancing & Prancing Pony” (named for a beloved boyhood companion) to “Boxing Gloves Jack” (inspired by the time legendary prize fighter Jack Dempsey passed through the village on his way to a training camp on the shores of Saratoga Lake).
Around 8 a.m. Chris – who served valiantly as a Marine during World War II — would grab his cane and prepare for his duties as a school crossing guard at the intersection of Routes 50 and 67. This was a highlight of his mornings, not only because Chris enjoyed escorting young students safely across the street, but also because it gave him a chance to visit with Cunningham’s Ice and Coin Laundry proprietor Dave Avenarius. After that, Chris liked to “hobble” (his word) across the street to see if he could pitch in at Noah’s Attic, a thrift store overseen by Christ Episcopal Church.
On the day Chris asked Ann to make him a promise, he was wearing a t-shirt boldly inscribed with the message I’M NOT OLD; I’M A RECYCLED TEENAGER. “Promise me,” he said, “that when I’m gone, you’ll write something so people will know I was still a school crossing guard in my 90th year.”
No math whiz, Ann protested: “But Chris, you’re not 90. You just turned 89.” Grinning impishly, he replied: “Yes. I’ve just celebrated Birthday Number 89. I’m now entering my 90th year.”
Laughter filled the room as Ann agreed to the terms of the promise – never imagining Chris would pass away just three months later.
While mourning the loss of his almost daily presence in her life, it occurred to Ann that the promise she had made to him in 2011 was woefully inadequate. Nothing short of a book celebrating his extraordinary life and legacy would do. (Though she never imagined it would take her so many years to do it!)
It is her fervent hope that sharing the literary labor of love (below) on what would have been Chris Morley’s 98th birthday in April 2020 will help readers feel they too experienced the joy of spending Mornings with Morley. (NOTE: To expand viewer to FULL-SCREEN size, click the viewer icon located second in from right on the icon menu.)
Below we invite you to enjoy a related video created by Mary Hauprich Reilly that includes rare footage of octogenarian Chris Morley bringing village history to life through captivating demonstrations of some of his hand-crafted wooden toys.)
Ann HauprichbooksMaurice Christopher MorleyMornings with Morley
