Pacers exec, civic leader Jim Morris dies
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Jim Morris was 81. Photo: Aslu/Ullstein Bild via Getty Images
Jim Morris, vice chair of Pacers Sports and Entertainment and one of central Indiana's most impactful civic leaders, has died at the age of 81.
The big picture: When Morris joined the Pacers in 2007, he'd already established himself as a local and global leader. The Terre Haute native and Indiana University grad began his distinguished career with American Fletcher National Bank in 1965 before becoming Mayor Richard Lugar's chief of staff in 1967.
- In 1973 he joined the Lilly Endowment, ultimately becoming its president in 1984.
- Beginning in 1989, he spent 13 years as chairman and chief executive officer for IWC Resources Corporation and Indianapolis Water Company.
Zoom in: From 2002-2007, Morris was executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme.
- He served as the United Nations Secretary General's Special Envoy for the humanitarian crisis in southern Africa during those same years.
What they're saying: "There are no words that would do justice to how consequential Jim's life truly was," said a statement from Pacers owner Herb Simon, the Simon family and Pacers Sports and Entertainment.
- "To his very last day, he was hard at work bringing people together to help those most in need and make our city and our state stronger, more civil, and more united. No one loved Indiana and Indianapolis more than Jim."
"Indianapolis lost a true giant with the passing of my dear friend Jim Morris," Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a statement. "Jim's outsized impact on Indianapolis and our state will be felt for decades to come."
Morris holds 17 honorary doctorates and received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama in 2016 and the Sachem Award from Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2021.
The bottom line: "We all have Jim Morris to thank for being such a relentless positive force and builder of our capital city into the international destination it is today," Gov. Eric Holcomb said in a statement. "Everyone could learn from Jim's wisdom, giant heart for humanity and appetite for the arts."