George Morse: In Memoriam

George Morse passed away on March 28, 2021.  George was a faculty member in the department from 1989 until 2007 when he and his wife Elizabeth returned, in retirement, to their native Maine.  George was the state extension specialist in community economics and focused on business retention and expansion, economic impact analysis, and teaching regional economics.  He became Minnesota Extension’s associate dean and director and led the restructuring of the extension field delivery system.  Colleague Scott Loveridge wrote: “George was a wonderful mentor and an extraordinary thinker about how to help community leaders improve odds of retaining and expanding local businesses. He was an international leader in this, and many states and communities in other countries emulated his methods. Thousands of people have jobs today as a result of his educational efforts. He was a fine man with a gentle sense of humor, and committed to helping everyone he encountered.”