Peter Morales
Encyclopedia
Peter Morales is the president of the Unitarian Universalist Association
, elected in 2009. He is their first Hispanic president. He was formerly the senior minister of the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Jefferson County, Colorado
, a rapidly growing Unitarian Universalist
congregation in the northwestern Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area
.
. His mother, Oralia López, was of Mexican-American heritage; his father, Peter Morales, was an immigrant from Spain. His initial language was Spanish. As a youth he greatly enjoyed baseball. On graduation from high school he attended Raymond College at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California
. Active in student government, he studied history and social theory.
On graduation in 1967, he married his wife Phyllis and taught school for three years. Faced with the draft during the Vietnam War
he immigrated to Revelstoke, British Columbia
. There he worked in a lumber mill and as a reporter for a community newspaper. No longer in danger from the draft, he returned to the United States when he was 26 and entered a program in American Studies
at the University of Kansas
. Following a summer in Mexico studying Spanish, Morales was granted a lectureship in 1976 as a Fulbright lecturer
in American literature and American history at the University of Oviedo
in Asturias in northern Spain.
However, while in Spain, his son (born in Canada and then four-years-old) was diagnosed with cancer, necessitating a return to the United States, where the son was treated at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center
. Faced with daunting medical bills, Morales accepted a job in 1977 working for the California Department of Social Services in Sacramento where his second child, a daughter, was born. He worked there until 1985 on tasks related to the Aid to Families with Dependent Children
program.
In 1985, Morales ventured into newspaper publishing as the owner of community newspapers in Rogue River
and Cottage Grove, Oregon
, being a pioneer in the use of desktop publishing
. As an experienced and innovative journalist, in 1995 he was awarded one of the first Knight International Journalism Fellowships and spent 5 months teaching and advising at La Industria de Chiclayo in Chiclayo
, Peru
.
. Very active, he served on the congregation's board of trustees. He enrolled in Starr King School for the Ministry
, a Unitarian Universalist seminary in Berkeley, California and on graduation in 1999 was called to the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden, Colorado. Active in liberal evangelism while still in seminary, under his leadership the Jefferson Unitarian Church grew rapidly. The leadership of the Unitarian Universalist Association in 2002 asked him to serve as Director of District Services for two years, returning to Jefferson Unitarian Church in 2004. In 2008, in an address to his congregation, he announced his candidacy for the presidency of the Unitarian Universalist Association on a platform of inclusion and growth.
of the Association in Salt Lake City, Utah. The vote was 2061 for Rev. Morales and 1481 for his opponent, Rev. Dr. Laurel Hallman, formerly senior minister of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas.
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Association , in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association of Unitarian Universalist congregations formed by the consolidation in 1961 of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of...
, elected in 2009. He is their first Hispanic president. He was formerly the senior minister of the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Jefferson County, Colorado
Jefferson County, Colorado
Jefferson County , whose slogan is the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountains", is the fourth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. Located along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Jefferson County is adjacent to the west side of the state capital, Denver....
, a rapidly growing Unitarian Universalist
Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism is a religion characterized by support for a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the understanding that an individual's theology is a...
congregation in the northwestern Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area
Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area
The Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Metropolitan Statistical Area in the State of Colorado that includes the City and County of Denver and nine suburban counties. The Census Bureau estimates that the population was 2,357,404 on...
.
Personal history
Reverend Morales was born in San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. His mother, Oralia López, was of Mexican-American heritage; his father, Peter Morales, was an immigrant from Spain. His initial language was Spanish. As a youth he greatly enjoyed baseball. On graduation from high school he attended Raymond College at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
. Active in student government, he studied history and social theory.
On graduation in 1967, he married his wife Phyllis and taught school for three years. Faced with the draft during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
he immigrated to Revelstoke, British Columbia
Revelstoke, British Columbia
Revelstoke is a city in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. It is located east of Vancouver, and west of Calgary, Alberta. The city is situated on the banks of the Columbia River just south of the Revelstoke Dam and near its confluence with the Illecillewaet River...
. There he worked in a lumber mill and as a reporter for a community newspaper. No longer in danger from the draft, he returned to the United States when he was 26 and entered a program in American Studies
American studies
American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. It traditionally incorporates the study of history, literature, and critical theory, but also includes fields as diverse as law, art, the media, film, religious studies, urban...
at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
. Following a summer in Mexico studying Spanish, Morales was granted a lectureship in 1976 as a Fulbright lecturer
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
in American literature and American history at the University of Oviedo
University of Oviedo
The University of Oviedo is a public university in Asturias . It's the only university in the region. It has three campus and research centres, located in Oviedo, Gijón and Mieres.-History:...
in Asturias in northern Spain.
However, while in Spain, his son (born in Canada and then four-years-old) was diagnosed with cancer, necessitating a return to the United States, where the son was treated at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
. Faced with daunting medical bills, Morales accepted a job in 1977 working for the California Department of Social Services in Sacramento where his second child, a daughter, was born. He worked there until 1985 on tasks related to the Aid to Families with Dependent Children
Aid to Families with Dependent Children
Aid to Families with Dependent Children was a federal assistance program in effect from 1935 to 1996, which was administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services...
program.
In 1985, Morales ventured into newspaper publishing as the owner of community newspapers in Rogue River
Rogue River, Oregon
Rogue River is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,131.-History:The settlement was known as Woodville for many years, but was changed to Rogue River about 1912...
and Cottage Grove, Oregon
Cottage Grove, Oregon
Cottage Grove is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It received its name from its first postmaster, G. C. Pierce, in September 1861. Pierce's home at the time was in an oak grove. The population was 9,686 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, being a pioneer in the use of desktop publishing
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
. As an experienced and innovative journalist, in 1995 he was awarded one of the first Knight International Journalism Fellowships and spent 5 months teaching and advising at La Industria de Chiclayo in Chiclayo
Chiclayo
Chiclayo is the capital city of the Lambayeque region in northern Peru. It is located 13 kilometers inland from the Pacific coast and 770 kilometers from the nation's capital, Lima...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Unitarian Universalism
Peter Morales first became involved in Unitarian Universalism at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Eugene, OregonEugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
. Very active, he served on the congregation's board of trustees. He enrolled in Starr King School for the Ministry
Starr King School for the Ministry
Starr King School for the Ministry is a Unitarian Universalist seminary in Berkeley, California and part of the Graduate Theological Union. Starr King School opened in 1904 as the Pacific Unitarian School for the Ministry...
, a Unitarian Universalist seminary in Berkeley, California and on graduation in 1999 was called to the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden, Colorado. Active in liberal evangelism while still in seminary, under his leadership the Jefferson Unitarian Church grew rapidly. The leadership of the Unitarian Universalist Association in 2002 asked him to serve as Director of District Services for two years, returning to Jefferson Unitarian Church in 2004. In 2008, in an address to his congregation, he announced his candidacy for the presidency of the Unitarian Universalist Association on a platform of inclusion and growth.
Presidency of the Unitarian Universalist Association
On June 27, 2009 the Rev. Peter Morales was elected president of the Unitarian Universalist Association at the General AssemblyGeneral Assembly (Unitarian Universalist Association)
General Assembly, commonly abbreviated as simply GA, is an annual gathering of Unitarian Universalists of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. It is held in June, in a different city in North America every year...
of the Association in Salt Lake City, Utah. The vote was 2061 for Rev. Morales and 1481 for his opponent, Rev. Dr. Laurel Hallman, formerly senior minister of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas.