Morrow, Art

Art Morrow was born May 5, 1923 in Butler, Pennsylvania.  He and his younger brother Jack (whose story can also be found in the Crestwood OHP) grew up there against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the emerging war.  Art graduated high school, and as he was a strong student he went to Penn State, where he was studying electrical engineering.  Pearl Harbor happened at that time, and he attempted to enlist; but the recruiter found out that he had an application into the Naval Academy, and he encouraged Art to wait and to complete his officer training.  Art did as instructed, entering into the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1942.  He endured the routine of a plebe that first year, following the various routines set out by the upperclassmen.  All the while he completed his studies, both academic and practical, which put him on the path to being an officer.  All the while the men watched the events of the war, wondering if and when they’d get their turn.  When VJ Day came in August 1945 Art was in San Francisco, en route to Pearl Harbor and Tokyo Bay.  He missed the war, but he would go on to play a role in the postwar process and emerging Cold War, first serving aboard the USS Walker, a destroyer.  He boarded the ship in Tokyo, setting out for Okinawa and then Seattle.  From there Art headed east and in Boston he boarded the USS Power, bound for the Mediterranean, where they were to maintain the postwar peace.  Their duties included patrolling the Adriatic and keeping a lookout for Yugoslav pirates.  Art also used his time in the navy to further his studies, including a stint at MIT where he met his wife-to-be Barbara.  That was followed by time aboard an aircraft carrier, where Art served as an electronics officer.  That technical expertise would serve him well when his commission ended in 1954 as he went into the private sector, working in the military-industrial complex.  Art was interviewed by Scott Masters at his home in New Hampshire in August 2022.