Adger Adren “A.A.” Morrison was born on September 5, 1875 in Fort Worth, Texas. He was the son of John Edward and his wife, Mary Annie Edwards Morrison. His parents married on December 17, 1867 and moved to Graham in the fall of 1876 from Fort Worth.
A.A. Morrison, as he was familiarly known, worked in his father’s mercantile stores in Graham until his graduation from Graham High School. He attended business school in Quincy, Illinois for one year before returning to work in his father’s businesses.
In 1888, John E. Morrison added undertaking supplies to his family business which created Morrison Funeral Home. opened the Morrison Funeral Home service. Following his death in 1926, Adger A. Morrison became head of the undertaking business. He expanded the company, and a new building was completed in 1938.
Adger Morrison married Miss Georgia “Georgie” Owen Garrett on September 16, 1896, in Graham, Texas. To this union, one child was born, Annie Lucile “Cile” Morrison.
In 1896, Adger and Georgie Morrison built their home at 718 Elm Street in Graham.
Mr. Morrison served as a City Councilman for 22 years and served as Mayor for one term. He was a member of the Brazos River Conservation Board which built Possum Kingdom Dam and Lake at the time of his death. He represented Graham during the building of the project. Mr. Morrison had been a member of the Graham Hospital board for many years, was a director of the Graham Foundation, a trustee of the First Presbyterian Church, of which he had been a member for several years. He was a member of the Rotary club, a leading member of the Chamber of Commerce since its organization in 1910. He was a member of the Graham Library Board. Mr. Morrison was the owner of Morrison Funeral Home and built one of the finest businesses in the state. He was president of Morrison-Smith Lumber Company which has yards in Graham, Olney, Seymour, Graham, Graford, and South Bend. He was a director of the Graham National Bank. He often called on old people, the sick or the poor to help, when no one else knew about it. He was a charter member of the Rotary Club and a member of the Masonic Lodge.
Besides his outstanding duties as a civic leader, Mr. Morrison did a lot of work among the poor, underprivileged children, the blacks, the aged, and people in need – quietly going about helping people who might not otherwise be assisted. He was loyal to his church. He was raised in Graham and attended schools here. He had shoveled the first dirt for building Graham Memorial Auditorium, the Young County Courthouse House, the Post Office building, Lake Eddleman, Graham Hospital, and Possum Kingdom Dam. Mr. Morrison believed in planting trees around his home including sycamore, maples, hackberry, and other fine shade trees. At this home, he had to haul water to make them grow, later, he had a well dug from which he drew water by rope, to water his trees and shrubs. Later, a windmill was put over the well, and he was one of those responsible for the modern water system in Graham.
Mr. Morrison died on November 1, 1941, in Dallas, Texas. Businesses in Graham closed for his funeral at the request of Mayor G.D. Hinson so others could attend. Graham Public Schools dismissed the afternoon of his funeral in honor of this distinguished citizen. Services were held in the First Presbyterian Church officiated by Dr. S.C. Guthrie of Kilgore, a former pastor. The crowd was too large for the church service which included many prominent people from throughout the state of Texas. Dr. Guthrie was assisted by Dr. T.S. Clines president emeritus of Austin College in Sherman, Dr. Bryan Keathley of Mineral Wells, and Dr. Gary Smith of Cisco.