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the Uintah Wyoming Oil and Gas Company.John’s daughter Anne had the privilege ofworking with her dad for a few years. Sherecalled traveling to New York City, meetingin “glitzy” Park Avenue offices watching herdad negotiate with heads of some of the largestoil companies in America. She marveled,“Here’s this guy from Utah pitching them adeal and they love him! Well, who wouldn’t?”John’s optimistic vision for the company wasevident. In 1967 Uintah Wyoming Oil and Gasmerged into Utah Resources International andin collaboration with Morgan Gas and Oil,Justheim Petroleum Company and WyomingPetroleum Corporation, they acquired 906 acresin St. George, Utah. It was to be the first ofmany investments in the area.Although Salt Lake City was home, John andhis family had always loved visiting St. George,a lovely little farming town tucked away in thesouthwest corner of Utah. Family vacationsto the area were mixed with camping, hikingand geology lessons that deepened the family’sappreciation of the history and beauty of Utah.to foster worldwide peace, health and friendshipIn 1970 St. George had a population of about14,000, and to John it was a place of beautifullandscapes and friendly people. John recalled, “Ijust felt good when I was in St. George.” Andhe began to imagine that St. George, “.had thepotential to become a great resort, recreationand retirement community.”Typical of John, the development of St.George was not just about a personal financialinvestment. It was about building a communitywhere everyone would be lifted up and invitedto participate in a wonderful opportunity. Itbegan with a golf course built on the lavafields west of town, Lava Hills Golf Coursenow called Southgate Golf Course. Then, Johnthought, “Well, now people are going to needa nice place to stay when they come to golf.”So he purchased a hotel franchise and built thefirst Hilton in St. George: the St. George HiltonInn, now the Desert Garden Inn, which his wifeDaisy managed for 14 years.But John was not satisfied with a golf courseand a hotel. He and Daisy, along with friendsand community members, began to envision11

a sporting event that would be open to seniorathletes from all over the world. He contactedSylvia Wunderli whom he had met throughpolitical endeavors and asked if she would liketo help. She agreed. They held a meeting at theAlta Club in the Salt Lake area and proposedtheir plan to potential backers. Then a secondmeeting was heldin St. Georgewith the “moversand shakers”ofsouthwest Utah,including thepresident of (then)Dixie College andthe mayor of St.George. Finally,in 1987 what wasknown then asthe World SeniorOlympics were12launched.John and Sylvia made a good team. Sylviaremembers, “John was so easy to work with.We complemented each other well. John hadlots of contacts, and I was good at organizingevents. Together we made it all work out.”According to Sylvia, who served as theExecutive Directorof the Games until1994, “It was shaky atfirst.The competitionwas set for October,and even though wehad sent out 10,000invitations, by Augustno one had yet sentin their registration.”Sylvia and John wereworried, so John wentto Daisy for advice.Maybe they shouldpostpone. Maybe itwas just too much tohope for. But Daisyassured John saying,“We are going to havethe World SeniorOlympics if you and Iare the only ones whoenter!” That was goodenough for John, andsoon the registrationswere flowing in.Sylvia helped John contact sports organizationsaround the United States and especially in thestate of Utah. They were able to secure the helpof some of the top sports directors for golf,tennis and horseshoes. By October there were325 registered athletes, all coming to competein 7 different sports: basketball, softball,cycling, golf, horseshoes, road races (5K, 10Kand 15 Miles), and, of course, John’s favorite,tennis. The athletes brought with them spouses,partners and fans who wanted to cheer on theirwww.seniorgames.net800-562-1268

loved one and attend the social festivities. Itwas a great success!In 1988 the name was changed to the WorldSenior Games, the age limit was lowered from55 to 50, and five more sports were added. Johnand Sylvia visited Chambers of Commercethroughout the state of Utah. They invitedfriends and family. They created and sent outbrochures. They took out ads and asked thelocal papers in Salt Lake and St. George to writearticles promoting the Games. However, Johnknew that he still needed to do more fundraisingto keep the Games going. He couldn’t justrely on his own resources year after year. JohnWunderli, one of the original board members,recalls that John Morgan had approachedJon Huntsman, Sr., a local businessman andphilanthropist and had asked him for 25,000to keep the Games going for another year.When Jon Huntsman agreed, there was a bigannouncement ceremony planned at the St.George City Council meeting. “Everybody wasthere,” recalls John Wunderli. “But we wereall completely surprised when Jon Huntsmanannounced that he was not giving 25,000 afterall. Instead he would give 100,000!” He hadcaught the vision, and in 1989 the HuntsmanCorporation became the principal sponsor ofwhat is now known as the Huntsman WorldSenior Games.Since then the Games have continued togrow. John Wunderli recalls that just after theBerlin Wall had come down in 1989, he andhis wife Sylvia along with John and DaisyMorgan went on a recruiting trip to Germany.They met with athletes and dignitaries trying torecruit participants to the Games. During WWIIbasketball had become more popular throughoutGermany. They had learned to play from theGI’s who had been stationed there during thewar. Consequently, the East German basketballteam came to play in the Games. Wunderli says,“This was the first time that the East Germanteam had traveled anywhere outside their.to foster worldwide peace, health and friendshipIT COULDN”T BE DONEBY EDGAR ALBERT GUESTSomebody said that it couldn’t be doneBut he with a chuckle repliedThat “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be oneWho wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.So he buckled right in with the trace of a grinOn his face. If he worried he hid it.He started to sing as he tackled the thingThat couldn’t be done, and he did it!Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;At least no one ever has done it;”But he took off his coat and he took off his hatAnd the first thing we knew he’d begun it.With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,Without any doubting or quiddit,He started to sing as he tackled the thingThat couldn’t be done, and he did it.There are thousands to tell you it cannot bedone,There are thousands to prophesy failure,There are thousands to point out to you oneby one,The dangers that wait to assail you.But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,Just take off your coat and go to it;Just start in to sing as you tackle the thingThat “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.This inspirational poem was shared atJohn’s funeral by his daughter as onethat was her father’s favorite. Anyonewho knew John would say it could havebeen written about him.13

country to play since before WWII. It was a bigdeal!” Their dream of a world-wide sportingevent was opening new possibilities for peopleall over the world.And the growth has continued now for threeand a half decades, adding new sports, socialgatherings, entertainment and free life-savinghealth screenings for athletes and communitymembers. In 1996 3,200 athletes participated.By 1998 participation grew to 4,500, andsince 2010 registrations have consistentlyexceeded 10,000. Large and small businesseshave stepped up as sponsors of the Games,and thousands of local residents volunteer yearafter year. The Huntsman World Senior Gamesis now the largest annual senior multi-sportcompetition in the world having hosted athletesfrom all 50 states and 83 different countries.This year team registration opened at midnight14on January 1st. In the first 5 minutes, dozensof teams were already registered. By 1:00 a.m.over 70 women’s softball teams had registeredand within the first 3 days of registration, therewere over 420 teams registered and ready tocompete this October!Some might think that John’s success wasbecause he had an easy life, but that is not true.John faced many challenges beginning when hewas a child. His mother suffered from mentalillness and was institutionalized when John was10 years old. Consequently, he and his sistersleaned on each other for love and support asthey grew to adulthood without the guidance oftheir mother. In later years, John was precededin death by his only son and later his youngestdaughter. In 2001 John lost the love of his lifeDaisy to complications due to Alzheimer’sdisease. Furthermore, John’s businesses did notwww.seniorgames.net800-562-1268

always run smoothly. His daughter Anne recallsthat during the 1970’s, “.the small publiccompanies that Dad had formed decades priorwere catapulted into one complex crisis afteranother.” But Anne also makes clear that John’sconsistent response to any personal or businesschallenge was one of courage, hope and gracetowards others. She writes, “A character, likeDad’s, that has supported 98 years of lifedoes not come without hardship. In fact, thehardships often make the man.”Despite these difficulties, John continuedto look for opportunities to help others. Heraised funds to support the arts, business andservice organizations. He served on the boardof the Utah State Department of Business &Economic Development, was Co-Chair of theUniversity of Utah Ballet Scholarship Program,served on the Board of Governors of the SaltLake Area Chamber of Commerce, the boards.to foster worldwide peace, health and friendshipof Intermountain Healthcare, KUED and Project2000 and many others. He was particularlyinvested in the scholarship program for the Sonsof Utah Pioneers. John’s grandfather startedthe first college in Salt Lake City, and Johnwas determined to continue to support what hisgrandfather had started. For over 20 years Johnwas the scholarship chairman during which timehe gave out 2,727 scholarships to high schoolstudents in Davis and Salt Lake County. Hevisited each school and insisted on interviewingeach participant personally. Anne remembers,“His ability to relate to young people wasuncanny. He made each one feel important.Most of the scholarships were granted to youngpeople who had overcome major obstaclesin their lives and indeed that was one of thecriteria, and one Dad could relate to.”This ability to make people feel special wasalso felt by athletes who participated in theGames. Michael and Nancy Shoemaker haveparticipated in the Huntsman World SeniorGames for 20 years. They met John Morgan ona couple of occasions and were impressed notonly by his accomplishments, but his humilityand the quiet way he had of building theconfidence of everyone around. “It was a greathonor to meet Mr. Morgan,” recounts Michael.“He was dedicated to what he believed in andaccomplished so much that benefited others. Hewas the founder of a wonderful organization,and I have nothing but respect for what he didand who he was.” Whether 18 or 80 years old,it was always John’s goal to lift others up, toinspire them and give them the confidence toreach their greatest potential.“When I started working with the Games 15years ago, John welcomed me into the Games’family with open arms,” added Kyle M Case,current CEO of the Games. “He not only mademe feel like he believed in me, he also made mewant to be the kind of person that he believedin. He did that for everyone.” John served asPresident and Chairman of the Board of Trustees15

throughout the duration of his life. He welcomedeach board member with love and kindness andhelped steer the Games at every single boardmeeting, right up until the end.At the age of 94, John still refused to retire.His children helped himmove into an apartmentclose to his work indowntown Salt Lake City.His daughter Anne writes,“From the age of 94 to96, he continued to walkto work to The WalkerCenter where he has beenthe longest reigning tenantin that iconic landmark forover 60 years. Many ofthe homeless people on the16street knew him by name and often accompaniedhim to work, guarding and protecting himall the way. Dad had the gift of consideringother people’s perspectives and if necessary,implementing changes within himself in hopes ofbecoming a better person.”When asked what JohnWunderli would miss mostabout his friend John Morgan,he replied without hesitation,“His optimism. It was a bigpart of who he was, and itworked 90% of the time!”It’s true. John Morgan alwaysbelieved in the promise oftomorrow and the goodnessof people. He continuallyimagined, and then put intoaction, ways to make lifebetter for his family, hiscommunity, his country andthe world. The HuntsmanWorld Senior Games is oneresult of John’s efforts. Wewill miss him as we celebrateour 35th year. But, we hopeto make John proud as wecontinue the mission of fostering worldwidepeace, health and friendship this year and far intothe future.www.seniorgames.net800-562-1268

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BA18www.seniorgames.net800-562-1268

IT ’S AALANCINGACT!by Lorie SwaydanRecently I turned 63. One of the many changes I’venoticed is that my balance is not what it used to be.I have to be more careful when walking on uneventerrain, and yoga poses are trickier than they used to be.So I decided to investigate how the balance system works, whatmight be potential problems that loss of balance could indicate,and what are things I can do to maintain or even improve mybalance.How do We Keep Our Balance?The first thing I learned is that keeping our balance iscomplicated! Good balance allows us to do simple things likestand upright or walk without wobbling or falling. To maintainbalance, our brains are in a constant loop of communication,feedback and adjustment with our ears, eyes, muscles andjoints. Our inner ear or vestibular system is a fascinatingand complex group of organs that monitor motion and sendinformation about the position of the head to the cerebellum.Each semicircular ear canal monitors different movementssuch as nodding or rotating the head. Fluid inside the canalsmoves when the head changes position and stimulates tinyhairs that send the messages to the brain. Two other organs inthe ear called the otolith organs monitor, “linear acceleration,gravitational forces and tilting movements.” Crystals in theseorgans are displaced by movement. This stimulates tiny hairswhich then relay the information to the brain.Working in conjunction with the vestibular system, thevisual system includes our eyes, muscles and parts of the brainthat allow us to see. Good vision helps us avoid obstacles,detect uneven surfaces and monitor the steepness of steps.When we are moving, this system also helps us to keep objects.to foster worldwide peace, health and friendship19

in focus and maintain asense of where we are inspace (Proprioception). Inaddition, the muscles andjoints and even the skinprovide information tothe brain, which then usesthis information to sendmessages to various parts ofpeople over the age of 65experience hip fractures, andover 95% of these fracturesare caused by falls. Thereare a variety of reasonsthat older people lose theirbalance. For example, poorbalance can result froma loss of muscle strengthand jointmobility.Our coreprovides theMaintaining good balance protectsfoundationus from falls, but it also improves ourfor ourbodies. It isability to stay active and independent.made up of29 differentmuscles,includingthe body to move or makethe abdominal muscles, theadjustments to keep usmuscles in the back andupright. Like I said, balanceour gluteal or butt muscles.is complicated!When our core becomesweak, our ability to balancedeteriorates. Our legPotential Problemsmuscles and even our upperbody muscles also provideMaintaining good balancestability for avoiding fallsis important throughout life,and for completing everydaybut it becomes more difficulttasks. Therefore, maintainingas we age. According tostrength in our muscles isBerkeley Wellness “. aboutparamount to good balanceone in three people over ageespecially as we age.65 (not living in nursingAlong with losinghomes) fall at least once astrengthin our muscles,year—and 10 to 15 percentchanges in vision such asof these falls result in seriouscataracts or glaucoma caninjury.”interfere with balance asFurthermore, the CDCcan problems associatedclaims that over 300,00020with hearing loss or otherconditions which affect theinner ear such as vertigoor Meniere’s Disease.Problems in all of these areasare associated with aging,but there are things that wecan do to mitigate theseobstacles to maintaininggood balance.Maintaining good balanceprotects us from falls, but italso improves our ability tostay active and independent.Simple movements likereaching for something on ashelf, walking on unpavedtrails or riding a bike allrequire good balance. I hadno idea that keeping mybalance was so complicated,but I’m glad to have learnedthat there are things I cando to maintain and evenimprove my balance.www.seniorgames.net800-562-1268

What Can We Do?Protect our hearing. Some hearing loss as weage is unavoidable, but we can protect our earsfrom exposure to loud noise by wearing earplugs or other ear protection. We can also haveregular hearing tests and watch out for coldsand flu symptoms that affect the ears.Take care of our eyes. Catching eyediseases early, such as age-related maculardegeneration, can help us avoid vision loss soannual eye screenings are important. We canalso protect our eyes by wearing sunglasses,eating a healthy diet and exercising regularlyto help maintain a healthy weight and manageblood pressure.Yoga and Tai Chi are especially good waysto improve balance. Tai Chi uses slow,.to foster worldwide peace, health and friendshipbalanced movements in a sequence to developoverall strength and balance. Using breathingtechniques, mindfulness and a variety ofbalance exercises, yoga helps to improveoverall muscle tone and core strength. Trysome yoga poses with your eyes shut toincrease the challenge!Keep moving. Regular exercise will developand maintain muscle strength. Perhaps startwith w

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