The Rev. John Crystal Morris was born in Rector, Ark., in 1899. The man whose life spanned all or parts of three centuries was 108 years old and still writing his newspaper column for the Ohio County Times-News in Hartford when he passed away on Oct. 27, 2008 – just three weeks shy of his 109^th birthday.

Morris began his career as a contributing columnist at 101 when he started writing for the Ohio County Messenger in 2001 and continued until 2004, when that paper closed. He then began writing for the Ohio County Times-News. Living in a nursing home, Morris wrote his column on an electric typewriter. The typewriter had paper in it the evening he passed away, according to Sam Ford, a longtime friend and former employee of the Ohio County Messenger.

 “John spent about 80 years preaching behind the pulpit,” Ford wrote in an e-mail. “As an evangelist, he traveled around the country. Prior to the beginning of this decade, he was living in Las Vegas. When he came back to live with his son, the Rev. John David Morris, he was only able to preach sermons on rare occasions, his age no longer allowing his body to stand behind the pulpit.

 “When I was working for the Ohio County Messenger, he contacted us about starting to write a column for the paper,” Ford wrote.

 His column was called “Something to think about.” Some columns were of a religious nature and others focused on his memories of the early 20^th century and how much life had changed, Ford said.

 Along the way, Bowling Green television station WBKO honored Morris by naming him a Hometown Hero. And the Society of Professional Journalists held a regional meeting at Western Kentucky University in April 2004 to honor Morris for his achievement of being the oldest known newspaper contributor around.

 Ford presented the SPJ award to Morris’ son, John David Morris, who accepted on behalf of his father.

 “Mr. Morris was a journalists’ journalist and a true inspiration to our students,” Pam McAllister Johnson, director of the WKU School of Journalism and Broadcasting, said.

 In addition, Morris received a commendation from the Kentucky Senate and the state House of Representatives. He was also named a Kentucky Colonel.

 “I am trying to do the best I can with what I’ve got,” Morris said in a 2004 interview with the Ohio County Times-News. “I try to tell the truth with everything I write out. Sometimes it is a mighty poor best, but I always try to do the best that I can.”

 Morris traveled a great deal through his life and preached in Texas, Illinois and many other states. He preached his last official sermon at 103, Ford said.

 “Dad was ordained in 1922 and never let up from then on,” John David Morris said of his father. “When he came back to Ohio County, he was 101 and rode in the middle of a U-Haul truck all of the way.”

 John David Morris, 79, said his father passed away peacefully: “He ate supper, laid down and went to sleep.”

 He was considered Ohio County’s oldest citizen. Survivors include two sons, four daughters, one stepdaughter, 18 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, 44 great-great- grandchildren and seven great-great-great-grandchildren.

 –Compiled from information supplied by Sam Ford, Ohio County Times-News and Pam McAllister Johnson

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