Decorated with an array of boat dioramas and sailing brochures, his office might confuse him for a sort of ex-marine.
However that is not the case for David Morris, assistant professor of history. Morris explains that he enjoys living by the ocean and, more importantly, sailing on it.
“There are two things that made working here a pleasure: what you do and who you do it with.”
Morris will be retiring after 11 years of full-time teaching at City College.
“I have a great department,” Morris said. “Everyone in my department are fun people, hard workers, and easy to get along with.”
A self described “L.A. escapee,” Morris was first drawn to Santa Barbara to get his bachelor’s and master’s in History at UCSB. Morris began his part-time teaching career at City College in 1974 under Dr. Curtis Solberg.
Morris recalls that one of his favorite memories at City College was when Solberg and him worked on and published an entire textbook in 1976. The textbook, titled “A People’s Heritage,” that took them two years to write.
Another memorable experience Morris enjoyed at City College was being a part of the academic senate.
“Working on the big picture and what’s going on in the whole school rather than just the History department was definitely something I enjoyed doing,” Morris said.
His plans after he retires includes a range of different leisurely activities, like playing the guitar, photography and sailing in the harbor, but one in particular involves him returning to teach at Laguna Blanca School where he taught history for 27 years.
Morris thinks back to a novel by Frank Herbert, a famous science fiction author, called “Dune.”
“Parting with people is a sorrow, a place is just a place.”
He relates to this when asked what he will miss the most when he leaves City College.
“Santa Barbara City College is a pretty special place, but I think it is the people that I enjoyed here and will miss the most,” Morris said.
Check out The Channels’ commencement coverage 2015:
From Peace Corps to professor—Spaventa retires after 23 years
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