Journey of service … from Navy waters to town leader

If you’re a resident of Charlotte, you’ve probably heard of Lane Morrison. He’s served on the school board and the selectboard, and currently is chair of the Charlotte Senior Center board.

When he talks about his involvement in the community, he prefers to point the spotlight at others, giving them credit for success. He’s quick to talk about their collective accomplishments, but reluctant to talk about himself.

People who know him are not surprised by his modesty.

“He’s very self-effacing, as you found out, right?” said Jim Hyde, a friend who has worked with Morrison on various town issues.

“Lane is an incredibly rare and wonderful balance between vision and practicality,” said Morrison’s pastor, Rev. Kevin Goldenbogen of the Charlotte Congregational Church. “He can imagine a different future and big projects and all the steps to get there, but then he quickly rolls up his sleeves and starts to get there.”

Morrison grew up in New Jersey and came to the area as an engineering student at the University of Vermont. 

At 21, Morrison graduated and began working in the defense industry with General Electric. However, he wanted more excitement than this corporate job promised.

“I didn’t want to sit behind a desk, so long story short, I went to the Navy’s Officer Candidate School in Rhode Island,” Morrison said.

He became a U.S. Naval officer during the Vietnam War. He was deployed to the rivers of Vietnam, where he served on an amphibious landing ship tank, carrying troops, vehicles and cargo.

Morrison’s friends say his drive and passion for community service has roots in his experiences as a U.S. naval officer in Vietnam.

“I think part of Lane’s story is, you know, his experiences as a veteran, and you know his willingness to give and serve,” Goldenbogen said.

After he left the Navy, Morrison came back to General Electric. He would travel selling weapons systems to navies around the world. 

Eventually, General Electric offered him a job in the area. Other employees didn’t see the appeal, but Morrison jumped on the opportunity. 

“I learned how to ski when I was at UVM. I played hockey at UVM,” he said. “So, when I was offered a job to come back it was kind of a no brainer.”

He spent the rest of his career in the Burlington area. He didn’t say a lot about his career accomplishments, but Hyde said he was very successful.

“I mean, he was incredibly accomplished as an engineer, as a manager of projects, you know, for many years before he retired,” Hyde said.

Meanwhile, Morrison began to become active in the community. He served on the Charlotte School Board from 1980 to 1986. He was part of the Charlotte Selectboard from 2013 to 2019.

“He’s very respectful, and he listens to what people have to say,” Hyde said. “You can disagree with him, and it doesn’t become a personal issue, as it does with so many people these days.”

On top of town governance, Morrison is also active in his church. He currently serves as the Charlotte Congregational Church treasurer.

“​​I think it’s hard to tell Lane’s story without telling part of his faith story,” Goldenbogen said. “Why he does what he does in the community, I think it starts a lot of times on Sunday mornings.”

The 150-year-old church previously had structural issues with its steeple, and that’s where Morrison stepped in. 

“So, we had a major challenge to raise three-quarters of a million dollars to redo the roof, then the structure, and then the steeple,” Morrison said.

At first, they were not able to raise enough money. Morrison had to turn to the community once again.

“Part of the challenge was to have a second request, and the community at large came to support us above and beyond members of the church, because they want this building, this church, to represent the history of Charlotte,” Morrison said.

Morrison’s current passion is channeled towards his work with the senior center, whose mission is to enrich Charlotte seniors’ lives and get them more involved in the community.

“We’ve seen a lot of people who, for different reasons, are alone, and so one of my major goals is to encourage the use of the senior center, get people involved. We have exercise and intellectual challenges, breakfasts and lunches, doing different things,” Morrison said.

Morrison and the Charlotte Senior Center have been working to expand their programs to reach a larger number of seniors. They currently have about 800 members in their database. 

A challenge of working with the senior center has been raising money to pay employees, fund new programs and care for the facility.

“It’s hard to make a profit, because we are only able to charge folks that come to classes or pay for a meal,” Morrison said.

Morrison also talks about the importance of getting seniors outside and active, utilizing programs that are all based out of the senior center. Morrison regularly attends senior center classes, such as a yoga class.

“So, one of my goals is to get people to be active, and you know, those outside, kayaking, hiking, bird watching, and a lot of exercises,” he said. 

In addition to all his work with the town, Morrison is a proud father and grandfather to four kids and 12 grandchildren. 

“He goes to more hockey games than I have breakfasts. I can’t believe how engaged he is with his kids and his grandchildren,” Hyde said. “I think that says an awful lot about him as well.”

“He’s a lot of fun, too,” Hyde said. “I mean, he’s not just a serious guy. He’s a lot of fun to be around. He has a good sense of humor. And just, just a really, really neat guy.”

(Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for The Charlotte News.)