Harold Morrison Wiki: Facts About the Late Architect and Toni Morrison’s Ex-Husband

Toni Morrison, one of the greatest novelists to capture the African-American experience in her books, passed away on August 5, 2019 at the age of 88. She was the first African-American woman to win a Nobel prize and her legacy remains unparalleled. She is survived by her elder son, while her younger son and ex-husband predecease her. Toni Morrison had been married once in her lifetime, before her literary career began. Harold Morrison Sr. was Toni Morrison’s ex-husband at the time of his death. He was also an accomplished personality in his own field, as our Harold Morrison wiki will illustrate.

Harold Morrison Was from Jamaica

Harold “Moxy” Morrison was born on January 1, 1932 and hailed from Jamaica. He later came to the U.S. where he attended Howard University.

Moxy Morrison—as he was known in Jamaica—was an accomplished architect and worked on projects in both the U.S. and Jamaica. His home country and the Caribbean culture appeared to be an important part of his life that he shared with his children.

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Harold Morrison Was an Architect

Moxy graduated from Howard in 1964 with a B.Arch. He also was the recipient of several awards like “the American Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal for general excellence in the study of architecture,” and obtained JIA RA certifications.

When he returned to Jamaica, he worked at a local firm before establishing his first firm, Shearer & Morrison Chartered Architects, in 1965, followed by Harold Morrison Associates in 1977. The latter was renamed Harold Morrison + Robert Woodstock Associates Limited (HM+RW).

Through his firm, Morrison had undertaken several projects in Central America and in the Caribbean. The University of the West Indies sought Morrison to design several buildings, including seven new operating theaters, a new hall of residence, and the new building for the Faculty of Law.

He’s particularly noted for designing buildings that were environmentally sustainable and energy efficient.

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Harold and Toni Met at Howard

Toni Morrison, (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford on February 18, 1931) enrolled in the historically black Howard University in 1949. After graduating with a BA in English in 1953, she acquired her master’s degree at Cornell and went on to teach English in multiple universities.

She returned to Howard where she taught English for seven years. During that time, she met fellow Howard graduate Harold Morrison.

They married in 1958, before he’d graduate with his bachelor’s degree. However, their marriage ended in divorce in 1964.

Toni didn’t remarry and turned her focus on her literary career. After the divorce, she began working as an editor for Random House.

Harold returned to Jamaica where he worked. He did travel to the U.S. often to see his sons and also to work on projects.

It’s believed he remarried in Jamaica but got divorced. In 2001, he was in the middle of divorce proceedings with a former wife, Marjorie Morrison.

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Harold and Toni Had Two Sons

Harold and Toni’s elder son, Harold Ford Morrison Jr., was born on June 18, 1961. He was three years old when his parents split.

At the time of their divorce, Toni was pregnant with their second son, Slade. Slade passed away in 2010 of pancreatic cancer.

While Slade shared Toni’s artistic talent, even collaborating with her on several novels, Harold Jr. followed his father’s footsteps to become an architect. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and studied at the Architectural Association in London.

“When I was four years old I saw my father’s drawings for the first time and knew instantly I wanted to do that,”Harold Jr. recalled.

As an architect, he has been based in New York since 1992, and is currently an architect for Princeton University’s Plasma Physics Laboratory. He even worked on numerous projects with his father in the U.S.

Both Slade and Harold Jr. shared a love for their father’s heritage. The younger Harold even makes frequent trips to Kingston, Jamaica, to visit his family there.

Harold Had a Daughter with Another Woman

Harold was also father to a daughter named Mala Morrison, who followed in his footsteps and pursued a career in architectural design. She currently works as a registered architect at her father’s firm, Harold Morrison + Robert Woodstock Associates Ltd.

Mala’s mother is Lourice Morrison. Although they share the same surname, it’s unclear whether Lourice and Harold were ever married. However, Lourice was listed as the “executor of the estate of Harold Eustace Melville Morrison, deceased” during a 2018 Civil Division court proceeding.

Mala completed her post-secondary education at the University of Miami, where she earned her Bachelor of Architecture degree in 2002. In 2018, she earned her Project Management Global Institute (PMGI) certificate in mastering applied project management. She also serves as a registered architect and member of the Architects Registration Board of Jamaica.

Mala started her career working at her father’s firm as an intern architectural designer in 2002. 

Harold Morrison Sr. passed away on March 4, 2016. Moxy, Toni, and Slade Morrison are all survived by Harold Jr. and Moxy’s extended family in Jamaica.

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