Lloyd Morain
Encyclopedia
Lloyd L. Morain was an American
businessman, philanthropist, writer, environmentalist, art collector and film producer, who uniquely served two terms as President of the American Humanist Association
(AHA).
, the youngest of four children of Jesse and Adelheide Gutheil Morain, and grew up living in a shack in a northern California lumber town where his father worked as a minister. His father later practiced law, and his mother became a teacher at UCLA.
In his teens, he won an essay-writing competition, as a result of which he gained a scholarship to UCLA. After graduating, he worked in the movie industry in Los Angeles
, his friend Irving Wallace
engaging him as psychological consultant and palmist for film stars such as Marlene Dietrich
, Hedy Lamarr
, and Charles Boyer
. He became president of the Los Angeles Society for General Semantics
, through which he met Mary Stone Dewing
; they married in 1946.
During World War II
he served in the US Army Air Corps, and at the end of the war was involved in setting up schools in Europe for the many servicemen experiencing long delays before their return home. While with the USAAC in Britain
he also acted as a field representative for the American Humanist Association. Through his discussions with leading secular humanists in Britain, Belgium
, the Netherlands, and the USA, he played a leading role in establishing the International Humanist and Ethical Union
, formed in 1952. He and his wife were founding Directors of the IHEU.
After his return to the US, he started a career in the mining
and utilities industries, initially as a result of being appointed as an industrial psychologist
with U.S. Steel
. From 1950, he worked for the Illinois
Gas Company, and served as its President from 1971 to 1988. He also invested in mining activities in Colorado
.
He served his first term as President of the American Humanist Association from 1951 to 1955. At the same time, he supported his wife's work as a supporter of global initiatives on planned parenthood
. In 1954, the couple co-authored Humanism As the Next Step: an introduction for liberal Protestants, Catholics, and Jews, which has since been republished in several later editions, most recently in 2007. Both were later elected as Fellows of the World Academy of Art and Science
. Lloyd Morain received the Humanist Merit Award in 1956. He became involved in the movie industry again in the late 1950s, producing the movie Flight, based on John Steinbeck
's short story, which won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival
.
Between 1969 and 1972 he served an unprecedented second term as President of the American Humanist Association, and was awarded the Humanist Distinguished Service Award in 1972. He was editor of the Humanist Magazine between 1979 and 1990, and wrote for the magazine on issues as diverse as general semantics, international cooperation, affordable housing, and humanism in developing countries. He was a major financial donor to the AHA, and also served on the board of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
He researched and wrote a book on working drifters
, The Human Cougar, published in 1976. He saw the drifters, who he had first encountered in his youth, as epitomizing the American ideal of personal independence, and often rode boxcars and camped with them while gathering their stories. In the 1980s, he and his wife funded a refuge for migrant workers in Salinas
. He also worked closely with prison governors on the rehabilitation of prisoner
s through finding them employment opportunities.
In the 1990s, he was given the Philanthropist of the Year award for the Monterey Peninsula
, and in 1994 he and his wife were jointly honored by the American Humanist Association as Humanists of the Year. He helped his friend and business partner Michael McOmber establish a school for troubled adolescent boys, Bridges Academy, in Bend, Oregon
in 1997. He supported local performers through theatre scholarships, and purchased a large area at Rancho San Carlos near his home in Carmel, California, to protect the redwood
s from logging. He also sponsored the environmentalist
film, Fuel
, in 2008.
He was actively involved in the international organisation of arm wrestling
as a sporting activity, and competed for the US in the sport at the Goodwill Games
in Moscow in 1988. He had an extensive collection of sculptures, carvings, paintings and furniture, acquired through his worldwide travels, particularly in Africa
, Asia
, and the Pacific. With McOmber, he established a museum housing his collection in Bend, Oregon.
He wrote:
His wife Mary died in 1999. Lloyd Morain died in Carmel in 2010 at the age of 93.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman, philanthropist, writer, environmentalist, art collector and film producer, who uniquely served two terms as President of the American Humanist Association
American Humanist Association
The American Humanist Association is an educational organization in the United States that advances Humanism. "Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism and other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that...
(AHA).
Life and career
He was born in Pomona, CaliforniaPomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
, the youngest of four children of Jesse and Adelheide Gutheil Morain, and grew up living in a shack in a northern California lumber town where his father worked as a minister. His father later practiced law, and his mother became a teacher at UCLA.
In his teens, he won an essay-writing competition, as a result of which he gained a scholarship to UCLA. After graduating, he worked in the movie industry in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, his friend Irving Wallace
Irving Wallace
Irving Wallace was an American best-selling author and screenwriter. Wallace was known for his heavily researched novels, many with a sexual theme. One critic described him "as the most successful of all the many exponents of junk fiction perhaps because he took it all so seriously, not so say...
engaging him as psychological consultant and palmist for film stars such as Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
, Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American actress celebrated for her great beauty who was a major contract star of MGM's "Golden Age".Lamarr also co-invented – with composer George Antheil – an early technique for spread spectrum communications and frequency hopping, necessary to wireless...
, and Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer was a French actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found success in movies during the 1930s. His memorable performances were among the era's most highly praised romantic dramas,...
. He became president of the Los Angeles Society for General Semantics
General Semantics
General semantics is a program begun in the 1920's that seeks to regulate the evaluative operations performed in the human brain. After partial program launches under the trial names "human engineering" and "humanology," Polish-American originator Alfred Korzybski fully launched the program as...
, through which he met Mary Stone Dewing
Mary Morain
Mary Stone Dewing Morain was an American therapist, social reformer and prominent secular humanist, the co-author, with her husband Lloyd Morain, of Humanism As The Next Step....
; they married in 1946.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served in the US Army Air Corps, and at the end of the war was involved in setting up schools in Europe for the many servicemen experiencing long delays before their return home. While with the USAAC in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
he also acted as a field representative for the American Humanist Association. Through his discussions with leading secular humanists in Britain, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the Netherlands, and the USA, he played a leading role in establishing the International Humanist and Ethical Union
International Humanist and Ethical Union
The International Humanist and Ethical Union is an umbrella organisation embracing humanist, atheist, rationalist, secular, skeptic, freethought and Ethical Culture organisations worldwide. Founded in Amsterdam in 1952, the IHEU is a democratic union of more than 100 member organizations in 40...
, formed in 1952. He and his wife were founding Directors of the IHEU.
After his return to the US, he started a career in the mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and utilities industries, initially as a result of being appointed as an industrial psychologist
Industrial and organizational psychology
Industrial and organizational psychology is the scientific study of employees, workplaces, and organizations. Industrial and organizational psychologists contribute to an organization's success by improving the performance and well-being of its people...
with U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel
The United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
. From 1950, he worked for the Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Gas Company, and served as its President from 1971 to 1988. He also invested in mining activities in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
He served his first term as President of the American Humanist Association from 1951 to 1955. At the same time, he supported his wife's work as a supporter of global initiatives on planned parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
. In 1954, the couple co-authored Humanism As the Next Step: an introduction for liberal Protestants, Catholics, and Jews, which has since been republished in several later editions, most recently in 2007. Both were later elected as Fellows of the World Academy of Art and Science
World Academy of Art and Science
The World Academy of Art and Science is an international non-governmental scientific organization, an informal and non-official world network of individual fellows elected for distinguished accomplishments in the fields of natural and social sciences, arts and the humanities...
. Lloyd Morain received the Humanist Merit Award in 1956. He became involved in the movie industry again in the late 1950s, producing the movie Flight, based on John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
's short story, which won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
.
Between 1969 and 1972 he served an unprecedented second term as President of the American Humanist Association, and was awarded the Humanist Distinguished Service Award in 1972. He was editor of the Humanist Magazine between 1979 and 1990, and wrote for the magazine on issues as diverse as general semantics, international cooperation, affordable housing, and humanism in developing countries. He was a major financial donor to the AHA, and also served on the board of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
He researched and wrote a book on working drifters
Vagabond (person)
A vagabond is a drifter and an itinerant wanderer who roams wherever they please, following the whim of the moment. Vagabonds may lack residence, a job, and even citizenship....
, The Human Cougar, published in 1976. He saw the drifters, who he had first encountered in his youth, as epitomizing the American ideal of personal independence, and often rode boxcars and camped with them while gathering their stories. In the 1980s, he and his wife funded a refuge for migrant workers in Salinas
Salinas, California
Salinas is the county seat and the largest municipality of Monterey County, California. Salinas is located east-southeast of the mouth of the Salinas River, at an elevation of about 52 feet above sea level. The population was 150,441 at the 2010 census...
. He also worked closely with prison governors on the rehabilitation of prisoner
Prisoner
A prisoner is someone incarcerated in a prison, jail or similar facility.Prisoner or The Prisoner may also refer to:* Prisoner of war, a soldier in wartime, held as by an enemy* Political prisoner, someone held in prison for their ideology...
s through finding them employment opportunities.
In the 1990s, he was given the Philanthropist of the Year award for the Monterey Peninsula
Monterey Peninsula
The Monterey Peninsula is located on the central California coast and comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, and unincorporated areas of Monterey County including the resort and community of Pebble Beach.-Monterey:...
, and in 1994 he and his wife were jointly honored by the American Humanist Association as Humanists of the Year. He helped his friend and business partner Michael McOmber establish a school for troubled adolescent boys, Bridges Academy, in Bend, Oregon
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
in 1997. He supported local performers through theatre scholarships, and purchased a large area at Rancho San Carlos near his home in Carmel, California, to protect the redwood
Redwood
-Trees:Conifers* Family Cupressaceae *** Sequoia sempervirens - coast redwood**** Albino redwood*** Sequoiadendron giganteum - giant sequoia*** Metasequoia glyptostroboides - dawn redwood* Family Pinaceae...
s from logging. He also sponsored the environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
film, Fuel
Fuel (film)
Fuel is a 2008 documentary film directed by Josh Tickell. It won the audience award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. The DVD was released on June 22, 2010.-Editing:...
, in 2008.
He was actively involved in the international organisation of arm wrestling
Arm wrestling
Arm wrestling is a sport with two participants. Each participant places one arm on a surface with their elbows bent and touching the surface, and they grip each other's hand...
as a sporting activity, and competed for the US in the sport at the Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
in Moscow in 1988. He had an extensive collection of sculptures, carvings, paintings and furniture, acquired through his worldwide travels, particularly in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and the Pacific. With McOmber, he established a museum housing his collection in Bend, Oregon.
He wrote:
Laws, governments, and other institutions exist for the service of men and women, and are justifiable only as they contribute to human well-being. The supreme value is the individual human being. Each person, of whatever race or condition, merits equal concern and opportunity.
His wife Mary died in 1999. Lloyd Morain died in Carmel in 2010 at the age of 93.