Inspire, Summer 2012

Smashing the Odds by Nicole (Hanson) Russell ’04 “Tennis,” says women’s tennis head coach Dr. Dee Morris, “is a thinking person’s game … like chess. Every time you hit the ball, you are trying to move your opponent to where you want her to go.” Her motto is simple: Think. Play. Execute. She also believes tennis is a game of integrity. Because the matches are self-officiated, it’s up to the players to call whether a ball hit the line. If a player can’t tell if the ball was in or out, she gives her opponent the benefit of the doubt. For Morris, teamwork and integrity go hand in hand in tennis. In a team match, players are ranked 1–6 according to their ability. Yet whether you’re a steady #6 or an explosive top seed, everyone’s points contribute equally to the outcome. Morris’ modest upbringing may have lacked the advantages of a proverbial #1 ranking, but she had much to contribute. Through her work ethic, faith, and the integrity she encourages her team to employ, she opened doors of opportunity that gave her life new direction. Humble Beginnings Dee Morris grew up in the hills of southwest Pennsylvania, an area that felt more like Appalachia than Pittsburgh. Her family home had no electricity or running water. “My childhood was a lot like The Waltons ,” she remembers with a chuckle, “except they were better off.” The oldest of five, Louise Delyte Morris (dubbed Dee Dee by her siblings, later shortened to Dee) learned early to be resourceful. Her father held odd jobs — machinist, game warden, member of the U.S. Coast Guard — and her family cooked what they grew from the garden over a wood stove. With no access to organized sports, Morris embraced life as a tomboy. “I wore out my dad and granddad playing catch with me,” she remembers. She took one year’s birthday money and bought a baseball to replace the one she’d crafted with a rubber ball, twine, and black electrician’s tape. Morris accepted Christ at a young age at a revival meeting during World War II. She did not grow up in a Christian home, so when she “She took one year’s birthday money and bought a baseball to replace the one she’d crafted with a rubber ball, twine, and black electrician’s tape.” 42 SUMMER 2012 facul ty voi ce