Charlie Morgan died suddenly on Saturday May 25 of a massive heart attack. A stalwart member and past president of the Nation's Capital Jaguar Owners Association, Charlie served several terms as Northeast Regional Director of the Jaguar Clubs of North America and was JCNA Publications Chair. He was 70 and lived in Baltimore.

Charlie retired early from Westinghouse in 1989 and began a productive period as chief researcher for the Jaguar North American Archives. Several times each month, he visited Jaguar in Mahwah, NJ, spending hours at a microfilm reader, pouring over Jaguar's hand-written chassis records, verifying chassis, and other numbers for Jaguar Heritage Certificates. Working with Jaguar archivist, Karen Miller, he researched company projects and helped police and insurance companies trying to trace historic Jaguars.

Charlie was born Oct. 24, 1931 in Millinocket, ME. He was educated at the University of Maine where he was a freshman at 16 and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. In high school he won the General Motors car design contest for the state of Maine. Hired by GM, he was drafted before he could start work and served in Korea as a Sergeant in the Signal Corps. He met Doris while working at Great Northern Paper in Millinocket and they were married in 1956. Three years later he joined Westinghouse where he worked in aerospace engineering, mostly on radar. One major project was connected with the first space walk.

Charlie was often seen with Doris at club events in their 1954 XK 120SE which they bought in 1959. The car survived years of daily driving in the Northeast, finally being stored for several years. As described in the November-December 2001 Jaguar Journal , the XK 120 was a part of the family. In 1992, in keeping with its status as a family heirloom, the car had a much-needed restoration by Jaguar specialist Ed Miller. It is currently on exhibit at the Owl's Head Museum in Maine.

Charlie and Doris became members of the NCJOC in the 1970s. He earned a reputation as a willing and tireless volunteer and his efforts expanded well beyond his local club. He was the author of several technical seminar papers which were presented at JCNA Annual General Meetings. Those who met and worked with him came away with the impression of a cheerful talkative man always ready with a story but who was also quiet and rather self-effacing. Deeply involved with his family, he returned often to Maine and had one last visit there the weekend before his death.

Charles Dow Morgan Jr. was an ordained elder at the Chapelgate Presbyterian Church in Marriottesville, MD. In addition to Doris, he is survived by a daughter, Leslie Seidel ans son-in-law Robert Seidel, a son, Chuck and daughter-in-law Marla Morgan and four grandchildren Andrew, Philip and Christina Seidel and Sarah Morgan. On Saturday June 1, family and friends will gather at the church for a memorial service starting at 1 pm to visit with the family. Services will begin at 2:00.  The family supports a friend and missionary who operates a shelter and school for street children in the Ukraine. In lieu of flowers donations to the school can be made to the Charles Morgan Fund at the church.

Chapelgate Presbyterian Church, 2600 Marriottesville Rd., Marriottesville, MD 21104-1628. Take I-95 to I-695 North to I-70. Exit at Marriottesville Rd. Turn left. The church is ¼ mile on right.

Posted: 5/28/2002