Jonathan Morris

Posted on: Mar 30, 2020 at 12:03 PM

I recall our team was 7-3. We had Bob Raba at tight end and me at split end. I caught a few TD passes as did he and my teammates ran for them. Whitman wasn’t a football school rather an intellectual melting pot. Most kids came from families with brilliant And successful parents. Hence, the notion of a potentially body damaging sport wasn’t high on families lists. Tennis was however, and the team excelled. Basketball prior to our time was state ranked or more. Outdoor Track was also a non contact (mostly) sport which I enjoyed and continued through college, setting the indoor 300 record at Towson that’s never ever been beaten (the race was discontinued). Please check the football team record as I can’t find my yearbook. But that’s what I recall anyway. We never got a chance to watch the halftime show since we were busy getting yelled at by Head coach Bob Malloy. Congrats on retirement, enjoy it!

Drew visiting his father (and family) last week. I took him to the airport versus an UBER driver. We had a GREAT 5 days together. Hope he moves back to the east coast soon!

I am saddened to learn of Abby's passing and wish I had heard about it earlier so that I could attend the funeral service. We need to create some sort of method to notify classmates of key events so that we may respond.  Years and years ago I bounced into the kitchen at my parents condo in Chevy Chase as my mother was intently focused on the newspaper. But it wasn’t an article or advertisement she was reading - it was the obituaries. I asked her “What are you reading?” And she told me that at their age she needs to read the “Obits” so she can “attend a service and say ‘goodbye’ to old friends.”    We are now at that age and I’ll download the WP app to receive notifications - which I hope do not come very often.  I hope you all have enjoyed your summer and looking forward to the Fall weather. If you’re IN FLORIDA the temps will drop from the high 80’s to low 80’s. The rain is on its way.

Finally, please don’t hesitate the to contact me!  I’m sitting at my desk in Virginia Beach (Sunday) with a lot of work to do. Thankfully. 

All the Best,

Jon Morris 

Thanks to all of you who wrote me in response to my recent soliloquy. I appreciated hearing from you and hope everyone is doing well. Feel free to write: jonathanmorrisdc@gmail.com. Ciao!

Posted on: Jun 14, 2019 at 9:17 PM

Posted on: Jun 14, 2019 at 9:17 PM

Posted on: May 13, 2019 at 12:16 AM

Last week on 5/6/2019 to be exact I began a new position & started yet another new adventure in life. Armada Hoffler is a mid-size public real estate company based in Virginia Beach, VA. It’s a public Real Estate Investment Trust or “REIT.” Back in 1994 I was a member of the IPO team to launch Charles E. Smith Residential, a conversion of The Charles E. Smith Company’s apartment division. I was there for 10 years & acquired $2.1 billion of apartments. I then worked at Boston Properties which is widely recognized as the number one ranked public REIT in America (out of approximate 190). Eight years ago I created a special graduate level class at Georgetown University called simply “REITs” and this summer I have been asked to be part of the faculty to teach the subject at the S&P Global’ REIT SCHOOL in Chicago, a prestigious high level immersion over three days on the structure & operations of public REIT’s. I have moved several big suitcases full of clothes into a furnished apartment here in VB Town Center, a mini Reston Town Center which was developed by Armada Hoffler. As Chief Investment Officer I plan to help grow the company through both new developments and acquisitions which has been my professional specialty for 25 years. The NYSE ticker symbol is AHH. You won’t find the Press Release on the site yet as I’m telling you first.

If you’re traveling south (or north or east) and Virginia Beach is in the area you’re visiting please reach out (jonathanmorrisdc@gmail.com is best). As many of you have “hung up your cleats” and retired or may be about to, I tried that in 2004/2005 and was so bored. Hence, this new gig will keep me on my toes for the foreseeable future. I’ve still got my old cleats or “spikes” actually since I continued running track into college and have been running ever since. They say that a shark must keep moving forward or it will die. I feel the same about humans. We must be actively engaged in a worthwhile pursuit or life can become monotonous. So please join me & put on iyour New Balance, Adidas, Puma’s or whatever you run in and let’s go! (Photo: 1975 Thanksgiving in short break from Towson University).

PS: on March 17 2019 my father passed away at 88 years old. He had been unwell for a few years prior but it was still devastating. He led a long & fruitful life and married my mother when she was 17 and he was 19. He loved all the activities I was involved with at WWHS & attended all my home football games, snapping photos on his cherished Leica cameras. Those photos remain as sharp today as any technological camera lens can produce. The memories are just as sharp if not more so. “High School” for many is a Rite of Passage for many of us & it sure was for me. The friendships, good times and even the love affair (you know who I mean) that were sparked at Whitman live on in one form or another. Three years isn’t a long time in the overall scheme of things but man oh man, it was the early part of the 1970’s, a very special time and we were all in a very special place together. Hold your family & friends close - they are what make you who you are. Godspeed. JM

Posted on: Mar 14, 2015 at 1:17 PM