Former UHV first lady passes away
Mary Jane Morgan, former first lady of the University of Houston-Victoria, passed away Friday night after a difficult battle with cancer.
From the first day she and her husband, Vic, joined UHV in 2014 until her passing, Mary Jane was a treasured member of the UHV family. She was an ardent supporter of higher education, the university and the Victoria community. Services are pending.
“Mary Jane and Vic are beloved members of the UHV family, and our university community holds them both in high esteem,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “We are heartbroken to hear of Mary Jane’s passing. She was an extraordinary, loving woman. Our thoughts and prayers are with Vic and the family as they navigate this difficult and painful loss.”
Mary Jane was known throughout the community as a woman of compassion and commitment to higher education. Before coming to UHV, she served as first lady of Sul Ross University in Alpine, where Vic was the president for 19 years. During the Morgans’ 40 years in Alpine, she served in many capacities, including as a trustee on the Alpine Independent School District Board of Education, program coordinator for Leadership Big Bend, Texas district governor of Pilot Club International, full-time booster for Sul Ross and Alpine High School activities and athletics, and even delivered for Meals on Wheels. In 2004, she was named Alpine’s Citizen of the Year.
To honor the work the Morgans did for the Alpine and Sul Ross communities, the university named the Vic and Mary Jane Morgan University Center in their honor.
Mary Jane’s commitment to service and education continued when the Morgans moved to Victoria in 2014 when Vic was named UHV interim president. During her six years in Victoria and four years as UHV’s first lady, Mary Jane left a lasting impact on the university and the Victoria community. She served on the boards of many organizations, including Theatre Victoria, Victoria Bach Festival Endowment, Victoria Independent School District Education Foundation, Mid-Coast Family Services, Pilot Club of Victoria and the Victoria Symphony. She also was president of the Victoria Symphony League and enjoyed playing mahjong, participating in church activities and having lunch with friends.
In order to honor her and Vic’s service to UHV and Victoria, community members donated to the university to name the Dr. Vic and Mary Jane Morgan Counseling Center inside UHV University Commons, 3006 N. Ben Wilson St. The Morgans were part of a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new student center and library in August 2019.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
