George Alan Morledge

George Alan Morledge died March 14, 2016. He was born on May 28, 1930 in Cleveland, Ohio, soon after his medical missionary father, John Walker Morledge, and mother, Grace Norrick Morledge, returned from service in South Africa. Alan Morledge grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with two older brothers, Joe and John. After graduating from Classen High School, Alan attended Rice Institute in Houston, Texas, completing a degree in chemistry in 1951. He entered the U.S. Navy, serving aboard the U.S.S. Burton Island, an ice breaker, in the Bering Sea off of Alaska. Later in life, he achieved the rank of Commander, with over twenty years of service in the Naval reserves. In 1954, Alan entered the Harvard School of Design, completing a masters degree in 1957, followed with a summer course of study at Ecole des Beaux Arts, Fontainebleau, France. Alan taught architecture for several years, at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and the University of Southwest Louisiana, before joining the firm of Spencer and Lee in San Francisco in 1960. In 1961, Alan consulted with Spencer and Lee for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, to help design a new Lodge conference center, in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he met Anne Jackson. Four months later, Anne and Alan were married in the Wren Chapel on September 30, 1961. The couple stayed in Williamsburg after Alan was offered a position as a restoration architect for Colonial Williamsburg, serving there until 1983. Alan then specialized as a scholar in colonial era restoration projects throughout Virginia, including Blandfield Plantation in Essex County, the Adam Thoroughgood House in Virginia Beach, and countless historic churches, sharing his expertise as an adjunct instructor for the College of William and Mary Special Programs. He designed numerous buildings in the greater Williamsburg area, including homes for Colonial Williamsburg's President Carl Humelsine and popular musician Bruce Hornsby. Over the years, Alan served in the Virginia chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the York County Board of Building Code Appeals, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Virginia, and on advisory boards for historic properties, including Gloucestor County's Rosewell ruins, Yorktown's Custom House, and St. Luke's Church in Isle of Wight. Alan enjoyed the activities of the Saint Andrews Society, Sons of the American Revolution, and participated as an actor in the early years of the Williamsburg Players. An active member of Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, serving on the vestry, Alan also enjoyed volunteering for many years in the Kiwanis Club of Williamsburg. He was predeceased by his brother, Joe, and his wife, Anne, but is survived by his son, Clarke H. Morledge and, his daughter-in-law, Lisa, of Charles City County, his brother, John Morledge, of Madison, Wisconsin, and many nephews and nieces. He was a bona fide chocoholic. A memorial service will be held at 11:00am, Thursday, March 31, at Bruton Parish Church. A reception will follow at the Alvin P. Andersen Auditorium, Williamsburg Landing, from 1pm to 4pm. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made to the College of William and Mary Foundation, designated for Swem Library, Make a Difference Fund, in Alan's memory, at P.O. Box 1693, Williamsburg, VA, 23187, or online at https://giving.wm.edu/give-now.html (under the "I want to support" section choose Schools and Units; Swem Library; Swem Make a Difference fund). or to the Bruton Parish Episcopal Church.