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Monday, June 28, 2004

Longtime Albion College coach and MIAA advocate Morley Fraser died on Monday, June 28.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 28, 2004
>From Tom Renner, MIAA Publicist

Longtime Albion College coach and MIAA advocate Morley Fraser died on Monday, June 28. The following is the death announcement:


H. Morley Fraser of Albion passed away peacefully at the age of 82 under Hospice care in his home surrounded by his loving family after a courageous battle with leukemia.

Fraser was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Fanny Forward Fraser and H. Morley Fraser, Sr. He graduated from Wauwatosa Wisconsin High School in 1940; attended Ottawa University in Kansas from 1940-1943; served in WW II as a captain in the US Navy from 1943-1945; received his undergraduate degree from Washburn University of Topeka in 1947, and received his M.A. from Michigan State University in 1954. It was at Washburn that he found and married the love of his life, Liz Riley.

Fraser coached three undefeated football seasons at Newberry High School from
1949-1951 and rebuilt a successful football and track program at Lansing Eastern High School in 1952-1953. He was head football and baseball coach at Albion College for 18 years where his teams won 11 MIAA titles. He loved to coach, but he loved his players even more staying in touch with many of them until his death.

After his coaching career Fraser served as Assistant to the President and Executive Director of the Albion College Conference Center from 1973-1989. He was a Goodwill Ambassador for Albion College.

Fraser gave over 200 motivational speeches each year to service and church groups, school baccalaureates and commencements, athletic banquets, business corporations and professional and collegiate sports teams. He was a favorite chapel speaker for the University of Michigan football team.

Fraser loved the town of Albion and Albion College. He invested 50 years of his life in making the community and college a better place to live. He enjoyed serving with his friends from the downtown Jackson Kiwanis, Albion Rotary, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He was a 50 year member of the Albion First United Methodist Church.

Fraser received too many awards to mention, but some are the National Fellowship of Christian Athletes Hall of Champions, the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame, and the Lifetime Leadership and Athletic Hall of Fame award from Albion College In 2002 the football field at Albion College was named the Morley Fraser Field.

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth (Liz) of 57 years; his children Linda Fraser (Al Worrell), Diane (Barron) Clemons; Kathy (Dan) Maguire, Morley
(Debbie) Fraser, Doug (Carrie) Fraser, 11 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. He was proceeded in death by his parents, son, David, and grandson, Steven Gilbert.

In lieu of flowers, donations should go to Albion College/ Morley Fraser Football field, Michigan Fellowship of Christian Athletes, or Albion First United Methodist Church.

Visitation will be at the J. Kevin Tidd Funeral Home on 811 Findley Drive in Albion on Wednesday, June 30 from 2:30 - 8:00 with family members present
from 2:30 - 4:30 and 6:00 - 8:00. Funeral services will be held in Goodrich
Chapel on Thursday, July 1st at 1:00 p.m. with viewing prior to the services beginning at 11:00 a.m. in the Goodrich Chapel on the Albion College campus.


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