Herschel James Morrison Jr.

Herschel James “Jim” Morrison Jr. passed away July 11 from injuries sustained in a car accident June 8, 2023. He was born in Roane County, Tennessee, on Dec. 10, 1940. He graduated from Druid Hills High School in Atlanta and the Henry W. Grady Journalism School at the University of Georgia. He is a brother of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

Jim was married to Nina Wynnette Park Morrison on June 3, 1962.

Jim began his career as a reporter for WBT-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was in his early days as a broadcaster that he took the name Jim, having been called James by family all his life.

The young couple soon returned to Decatur, and Jim became the chief of information and education of the Georgia State Game and Fish Commission. In this role, he edited the department’s 35,000-circulation magazine, taking many photos, writing stories and working on the magazine’s layout and design. He was known for his weekly fishing reports, syndicated on 75 radio stations across Georgia. He traveled for many events, getting to know Georgia well and sharing that knowledge with family.

While at Game & Fish, Jim was sent to check out a story of a possible world record largemouth bass. The fish supposedly had been caught by a man few had heard of, Junior Samples. The fish was a lie, the story was whopper, and Jim, for his involvement in the tale, for a time enjoyed what today would be called viral fame. Junior went on to real fame on the country comedy show “Hee Haw.” The tale about the fish was a life-changing experience for Junior, and one of the people he asked to see during his final hours was Jim.

Jim worked for key agencies and organizations concerned with preserving the environment, habitat and opportunities for hunting and fishing. He was information officer for the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, Assistant Director of the Georgia Conservancy and executive director of the Georgia Wildlife Federation.

Jim was instrumental among the devoted environmentalists who preserved natural areas of the Chattahoochee River and Georgia’s seacoast. For his efforts to stop channelization of the Alcovy River, Jim was in 1970 awarded the National Wildlife Federation’s prestigious Conservationist of the Year award. He loved his family, his country and nature, which he fought fiercely to preserve for future generations.

In the 1980s, Jim and Nina fulfilled a lifelong dream and moved to their log home on the marsh in McIntosh County. They had a wonderful party to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with their new neighbors. The Seabreeze community was an important part of Jim and Nina’s life.

Jim loved living in a sportsman’s paradise with plentiful opportunities to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors. He spent many hours sitting on the deck of their home watching the neighbors’ shrimp boats, tugs and the Sapelo Island Ferry come and go. He loved to eat dinner out on their floating dock, “watching the dolphins dive.” Anyone who ever got Jim and Nina’s home voicemail heard that line delivered in a genuine broadcaster’s voice.

He was a member of Darien United Methodist Church, a past Flotilla Commander and boating instructor of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s St. Simons Island Flotilla and a past president of the Darien Lions Club.

In McIntosh County, Jim rekindled his love of journalism, for a time writing a column for The Darien News. Jim was McIntosh County’s Liaison to the Georgia Department of Transportation for construction of the Highlander Trail, a 7.3-mile demonstration project of the Coastal Georgia Greenway to connect the Fort King George State Historic Site in Darien with the Sapelo Island Ferry Dock at Meridian along the route of Georgia Highway 99. In recent years, Jim particularly enjoyed leading tours on Sapelo Island.

Jim was predeceased by his wife, Nina Wynnette Park Morrison, his father, Herschel James Morrison Sr., his mother, Grace Nipper Morrison, and his sister, Mary Lynn Morrison Eberhart.

He is survived by his daughter, Nina Lynn Morrison Brook (Steven) of Columbia, South Carolina, and his son, James Robert Morrison (Jennifer) of Jefferson, along with six grandchildren, Arthur Benjamin Brook, Joseph Morrison Brook (Laura), Robert Cleveland Brook (Ellie Pobis), Alexander Dean Brook, James Richard Morrison and Ava Grace Morrison. Also surviving is Jim’s companion, Natalia “Tee” Donley.

The family wishes to thank the law enforcement officers and emergency personnel who responded to the accident along with the physicians, nurses and other health care workers in the emergency department and trauma intensive care unit at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah.

Graveside services and burial will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, July 17 at St. Andrews Cemetery in Darien. Memorials may be made to the East Coast Greenway Alliance, www.greenway.org

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.edomillerandsons.com for the Morrison family.