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Born in 1906 he lived on 252 Berry Street in Hackensack until June 20, 1956 . E. Frederic Morrow graduated Hackensack High School in 1925. He was on the debating team for three years and in his senior year he was captain. He graduated from Bowdoin College and Rutgers University Law School . His sister Nellie, who married and became Mrs. Nellie K. Parker, was the first Negro Schoolteacher in Bergen County , N.J. The Parker School in Hackensack is named in her honor. A younger brother Dr. John H. Morrow, HHS 1927 was head of the department of romance languages at Talladega College in Alabama and served as a diplomat under the Kennedy Administration during the 1960's to New Guinea . His Youngest Brother William HHS 1937 served in World War II during the African Campaign and the Battle of the Bulge. E. Frederic Morrow attended Bowdoin College from 1926 to 1930 but had to return home to assist his family before graduating. During the 1930's he was employed by the National Urban League and the NAACP. He joined the Army in 1942 and entered as a private, within a month was promoted to sergeant and a year later he graduated from Officer Candidate School . He served 5 years in the Army rising to the rank of Major in 1947. After the war he received a law degree from Rutgers University. Bowdoin awarded him an honorary LL.D. degree in 1970 after his many lifetime accomplishments of which we have only scratched the surface. Up until June 20, 1956 E. Frederic Morrow was still living on 252 Berry Street in Hackensack . After the War He was a public affairs writer for the Columbia Broadcasting System, {C B S.} In 1952 he boarded General Eisenhower's Presidential campaign train as a personal advisor and administrative assistant. After the election he was appointed Advisor on Business Affairs in the Department of Commerce. He served there for two years until 1955. He still lives on 252 Berry Street in Hackensack. In July of 1955 E. Frederic Morrow Became the First Negro Presidential aide in history. He was Administrative Officer for Special Projects on President Eisenhower's staff from 1955 to 1961. To quote him on May 16, 1956, at a head of state dinner he was attending where the President commented on him, “Here, again, came to my mind the wonder why-when there are 18,000,000 Negros in this country- the Almighty had seen fit to give me the rare privilege of being part of the official family of a President of the United States.” From 1906 to June of 1956 E. Frederic Morrow lived on 252 Berry Street in Hackensack. In June of 1956 He needed to purchase a bigger place to entertain quests from time to time in his new position. He sought to buy a house at the north end of Hackensack in the Fairmount section but was unable to do so because of the segregated attitudes of the day. He moved to a new home in Teaneck. E. Frederic Morrow was struggling to break into areas of leadership where a black man in the United States had never been before. E. Frederic Morrow's struggles, it could be argued, were equal to and at times more significant in impact to the country, then Jackie Robinson's struggles in Baseball and Martin Luther King's Struggles for civil rights in America of whom he new both. These men went to E. Frederic Morrow when dealing with civil rights issues with the Eisenhower administration during the 1950's. Because of the racial attitudes of the day the people on staff gave him little chance to have an impact on such issues of which he greatly grieved. After his service in the White House he became vice president of the African – American institute in N.Y. He worked there until 1964 when Bank of America made him an Assistant vice president at its international subsidiary on Wall Street. His responsibilities included foreign loans and business development, and he retired as a senior vice president in 1975. E. Frederic Morrow was the First Black Vice President for Bank of America. After that He worked as an executive associate at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton N.J. He died at 88 years of age on July 20, 1994. You cannot mention E. Frederic Morrow without mentioning his whole family and their struggles. He writes about himself and his families struggles through the turn of the century and through the civil rights movement in his three books. They can all be found at the Hackensack Library. The first is BLACK MAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE, copyright 1963, this is a historically significant book which is a diary of his time in the White House. The second book is, WAY DOWN SOUTH UP NORTH, copyright 1973, is a compelling autobiography about his family and there struggles growing up in Hackensack at the turn of the century. The last book, ‘a black man's view from the top FORTY YEARS A GUINEA PIG, copyright 1980, another autobiography after retirement. This book has the diary of his days in the White House and also includes his college years, his experience in the military and his experience after the White house years. All of these books were reviewed by the N.Y. Times. Upon E. Frederic Morrow's death on July 20, 1994 at the age of 88, the New York Times newspaper had his Obituary with his picture included and his story took up 20% of the page. The N. Y. Times is read around the world and is reporting on the passing of a man of prominence and world stature at one time. Written: by Bob Meli in January 2007 REFERENCES: N.Y. Times Obituary article - Thursday July 21, 1994
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