The children of the late Thomas H. Morton Sr., a longtime Zebulon attorney, civic leader and Mercer University alumnus, have established an endowed scholarship fund at the School of Law in their father’s memory. The endowed fund will provide a scholarship for a rising third-year law student with financial need.
Morton, who was the last living member of the 1941 Mercer cheerleading squad, died in December 2021 at the age of 100. Mercer dropped intercollegiate football in 1941 and reinstated the sport in 2013. Morton and his son, Robert, also a Zebulon attorney, attended a number of Mercer football games since 2013.
Morton served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, earning eight Battle Stars and receiving the Navy Ribbon of Commendation for Valor in the Battle of Okinawa. After the war, he earned his law degree from Mercer in 1949 and was commissioned as a member of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) in 1950. He practiced law in Douglasville with multiple organizations, including the JAG Corps, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, and as a senior member of the firm of Belcher, Henzie & Biegenzahn in Los Angeles. In 1991, he became a partner in the firm of Crawford & Morton in Zebulon. After his son, Robert, was admitted to the practice of law, he founded the firm of Morton, Morton & Associates in Zebulon.
In addition to the general practice of law, Morton was city attorney for the cities of Zebulon and Meansville, and served as county attorney for Spalding, Meriwether and Pike counties. He was also a member of many civic organizations, including the Lions Club, Kiwanis Club and Pike County Historical Society. In 2017, Morton was named Zebulon Citizen of the Year.
Those who wish to make a memorial gift to the Morton Endowment may do so online at giving.mercer.edu or by mailing a gift to Mercer University, Advancement Office, 1501 Mercer University Drive, Macon, GA 31207.
