new church life: jan uary/february 2016
others in the fields of religion and philosophy.
Ed’s professional career was truly amazing and Rev. Asplundh had this
to say: “Most men don’t have the opportunity for careers this challenging and
exciting. However, the important thing for all of us is to recognize that our
happiness in life comes through serving the neighbor and the performance of
use for others. Ed appeared to live this principle.”
Ed and his wife Beverly moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1964 where they
raised their four children, Katherine Naill, Joel, Brent and Scott. There he
helped establish Space Data Inc., which later became a part of Orbital Sciences
Corp. These companies were in the business of developing and launching
rockets to provide affordable space launch capability for the nation.
Ed later helped establish a state-of-the industry Spaceport on Kodiak
Island in Alaska, now a part of Alaska Aerospace Corporation. The Ed Allen
Launch Operations Control Center is a part of this Spaceport. It can be
accurately said that Ed was indeed a “rocket scientist.”
Those who knew Ed were astonished that he spent the entire last week of
his life without once going to the office! It can also be accurately said that Ed’s
primary motivation was being “Of Use,” and he lived that in his life every day
to the end.
H. Keith Morley
H. Keith Morley was elected to the Academy Corporation in 1969.
First joining the Board in 1976, he served three successive terms and finally
stepped down in 1987 having served on numerous committees. He became an
Emeritus Member of the Corporation in 1998, maintaining an active interest
in Academy matters for the rest of his life. He also served on the General
Church Board for 17 years and held various leadership positions in the Olivet
Church Society in Toronto.
Keith was born in Derby, England, on December 28, 1920, the son of
Harold Stephen and Elsie May Morley. His family had strong ties to the
New Church. His father’s company, Morleys (Builders) Ltd, constructed the
current church building in Derby, and his parents worked with Rev. Schreck
to establish the Purley Chase New Church Center, a facility still popular for
church activities of all kinds.
With a strong sense of duty, a consistent theme throughout his life, Keith
enlisted in the war effort with the Royal Air Force and received his pilot officer
wings in 1943. He had learned to fly on the Canadian prairies, his first taste
of North America and first opportunity to visit Bryn Athyn. He flew B-24
Liberators and one of his first missions, as co-pilot, was to patrol the English
Channel on D-day.
As the European theater wound down, he was re-assigned to Ceylon and
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