Dr. Rose Marie Morgan, 81, Minot, died on Sunday, December 11, 2016 in a Minot hospital.

Dr. Rose Morgan was born on November 17, 1935 in Minot, ND to Clinton and Clara Adlyn (Fedje) Morgan. She was reared and educated in Minot and graduated from Minot High School in 1954. Following her high school graduation, she enrolled at Minot State College where she majored in Biological Sciences and minored in Psychology. She graduated in 1963. She interned at Trinity Hospital in the laboratory in 1957-58, earning certification as a medical technologist (clinical laboratory scientist) with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists in Chicago. She worked as a diagnostic microbiologist from 1965 until 1975 at North Dakota State University.

She earned a Master of Science degree from North Dakota State University in 1968 and a Ph.D. in Radiation Biology and Biochemistry from the Texas Woman's University (Denton, Houston and Dallas) in 1981. She performed postdoctoral work at the Queen's College of Oxford University, England and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. under the auspices of Minot State University Faculty Development Grants and the Bush Foundation in St. Paul, MN.

She returned to Minot State University in 1983 as an instructor in the Science Division teaching premedical students. She advanced in rank from Instructor to Full Professor in the sixteen years she was at Minot State University. During that time, she served on many committees, including the Salary, Promotion, Education and Tenure committees. She also served on the faculty senate and senate executive boards, the Graduate Council, and the Student Welfare and University Affairs committees. At one time, she served as Director of the Clinical Laboratory Science Program. As part of "Jubilee 88" at Minot State University, she established the Clinton and Adlyn Morgan Scholarship Endowment at MSU in honor of her parents to financially aid students majoring in biology and clinical laboratory science. She was a finalist for North Dakota Public Employee of the Year in 1988.

She retired as Full Professor from Minot State University in May, 1999, having taught over 10,000 pre-medical students. Her students consistently gave her positive evaluations, rating her as "hard, but fair". Upon her retirement, the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education bestowed upon her the title of Professor Emerita.

She traveled throughout the United States, Canada, England, France and Mexico attending seminars and presenting papers. While in England in 1985, she presented a report on AIDS at Oxford University and also presented a report on AIDS at Stanford University in the 1980's when AIDS in rural America was first recognized.

She served as a member of the International Fellowships Awards Panel of the American Association of University Women in 1993-1995 in Washington, D.C. to award fellowships to women from foreign countries the opportunity to study in the United States. She served many years as a judge for ND Science and Engineering fairs and numerous times was invited to judge for state and regional Native American science fairs. In 1990, she and Garnet Cox, Dean of Students at MSU, were awarded a state of North Dakota Highway Department first-time grant to assess attitudes of MSU students toward alcohol and AIDS.

She was a member of many professional organizations which included Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority while she was a student at Minot State University. She also contributed to the MSU Beaver Boosters for many years and was a member of Sigma Xi International Science, Royal Neighbors of America, Delta Kappa Gamma International, Minot High School Class of 1954 noon luncheon group, Retired MSU Faculty group, and Trinity Hospital Auxiliary for many years. She also served on several Mayor's committees, including the Safety Committee. She was also a member of the American Association of University Women, New York Academy of Sciences, Phi Delta Kappa, Texas Academy of Science, Texas Beta Beta Biological Society and the North Dakota and National Education Associations. She served as president of the North Dakota Society of Medical Technologists in 1965 and served two terms as the National Membership Chairman. She was a charter member of Phi Delta Gamma (Alpha Theta Chapter) while at Texas Woman's University.

In her teens and early twenties she excelled in sports, particularly women's fastpitch softball and tennis. She was a pitcher and short-stop for three North Dakota state championship women's softball teams, which included Purity Dairy and the Minot Merchants. She considered her greatest athletic accomplishment to be when she pitched the Minot Merchants team to victory, defeating the Minneapolis/St. Paul team in the regional championship held in Sioux Falls, SD. In 1958, she was the North Dakota women's tennis champion.

She wrote five books and over fifty papers which were published by major publishers and distributed internationally in many countries. As a hobby, she entered numerous flower shows, including the North Dakota State Fair and Peace Garden Flower shows, earning "Best of Show" numerous times. Over a thirty-year period she rescued three cocker-spaniels named Andy, Spencer, and Buddy from the Souris Valley Animal Shelter.

She was baptized, confirmed, and married at Bethany Lutheran Church in Minot. She was once married to Dr. J. L. Parsons. They were later divorced.

Dr. Morgan is survived by numerous cousins and their families who reside throughout the United States including David (Patti) Fedje and Marshall Morgan, all of Minot; Edward Morgan, California; Karen Fedje Thayer, Everett, WA; Thelma Fedje Voller, Kent, WA; Barbara Fedje Parker, Crossville, TN.

Dr. Morgan was preceded in death by her parents, grandparents, and special friend Maxine Vestre.

Celebration of the Life of Dr. Rose Morgan: Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church Minot.
Visitation: Tuesday, December 13, 2016 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Thomas Family Funeral Home - Minot.
Interment: Rosehill Memorial Park.
Memorials are preferred to: Dr. Rose Morgan Scholarship Endowment Fund at Minot State University, Souris Valley Animal Shelter, Trinity Hospice or the Gamma Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma.