Dr David W Morris
Obituary written by Dr John H Harries, Former Pro Vice-Chancellor, Aberystwyth University
Dr David (Dai) Morris, the founding Principal of the Welsh Agricultural College, died peacefully at his home, Ostrey Farm, St Clears, Carmarthenshire, on 13 July aged 87. An alumnus of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, Dr Morris was born on the family farm in the Rheidol valley. He was one of seven children – one girl and six boys, one of whom was the late John Morris, who became Secretary of State for Wales and held the title Baron Morris of Aberavon.
David Morris attended Ardwyn Grammar School before studying for a degree in agriculture at UCW Aberystwyth. Then followed a period at the University of Newcastle where he gained his PhD under the supervision of Professor Mac Cooper, the New Zealand born agriculturalist, who had a significant influence on his career and later became his father-in-law. After several years in Cumberland, Newcastle and Wiltshire, where he and his wife Cynthia managed a 2,000-acre dairy and arable farm that was part of the Bowood Estate, David was brought back to Aberystwyth as the first Principal of the Welsh Agricultural College. The establishment of the college reflected a desire within Wales to fulfil the need for more and better technical education for the coming generation of farmers.
David’s first few years as Principal presented some unique challenges. College buildings had to be built on a greenfield site on the Llanbadarn Campus but, after a year of construction, the building company was declared bankrupt. Whilst new builders were found to complete the project, the first intake of 34 students, who enrolled in 1971, had to be taught in temporary accommodation in the former ‘Dairy building’ on Llanbadarn Road, while their living accommodation was in hastily found lodgings in town. The principal’s office was a cramped space in the bowels of a building on the seafront owned by the County Council. Many of that first cohort of students was interviewed by Dr Morris in that unprepossessing environment. Finally, by September 1972 and under David’s unwavering direction, the new college buildings were completed and students and staff moved in.
David Morris appointed a relatively young, well qualified and enthusiastic group of staff. They came with a good mix of industrial experience and academic achievement. Under the principal’s keen eye, the staff taught Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) courses to a high educational and technical standard. The aim was to produce agricultural diplomates who could readily apply their skills and understanding in a practical context and be capable of ‘hitting the ground running’. Dr Morris was insistent that the students’ learning was entirely relevant to the needs of the farming industry, and under his leadership over the next 12 years, the Welsh Agricultural College, or WAC as it was fondly known, developed an excellent reputation for its provision.
In the late 1970s, he became Professor of Agriculture at UCW Aberystwyth in a ‘joint appointment’ whereby he also continued in his post as the Principal of the Welsh Agricultural College. Part of his newfound responsibilities was to oversee the management of the university farms. However, closer academic ties between the two neighbouring institutions, in the form of a joint degree in agriculture, did not materialise until some years after his departure from Aberystwyth.
In 1983, David’s need for a fresh challenge and particularly his love of hands-on agriculture led him to relinquish his academic posts at Aberystwyth to become a full-time farmer. He purchased Wern Berni farm in Llanboidy, Carmarthenshire and established a 100-cow herd of pedigree Friesian Holstein cattle. He also kept pedigree Charolais sheep and the Penywern flock, which he had started whilst at Aberystwyth, became one of the largest in the UK. Later he established a pedigree flock of Lleyn sheep and became very influential and highly respected as regional chairman of both the Charolais and Lleyn Breed Societies.
David and Cynthia downsized to Ostrey Farm near St Clears in Carmarthenshire in 1999 where they continued to farm and achieve notable success in sheep breeding. For example, in 2006, a shearling ram of theirs broke the breed record when it was sold for £15,750 at the Lleyn breed’s annual sale in Carlisle. Finally, in 2023, David and Cynthia retired fully from farming.
Never one to take a backward step, David Morris’s drive and tenacity, his ability to communicate simply and without pretension and his flair for extracting the best from others has left an indelible legacy on agriculture in Wales and beyond. It is rare to find a person who has straddled academia and farming with such effectiveness. A proud Welshman, David is survived by Cynthia and their two children.