Every summer, since 1994 the Bishop’s Camp at St. Matthew’s Cathedral has been providing summer reading fun for children from the surrounding inner-city neighborhood. This summer, 135 children, from ages six to fourteen, enjoyed seven weeks of summer day camp at no charge. Camp activities include reading, science, math, art, music and sports. A highlight for campers is reading with their reading partners. These volunteers spend time reading with each child every day, helping them maintain important reading skills over the summer break. In addition to reading partner volunteers, the camp is made possible by a host of supporters including golfers and sponsors of the Annual Bishop’s Camp Golf Classic… and also by the legacy of President John F. Kennedy’s programs for youth and one far-sighted individual, Mrs. Bess (Sheppard) Clayton Morrison.

Bess Clifton Sheppard was born in 1917 in Mt. Vernon, New York. Soon after her birth her family moved to Dallas. Bess attended the University of Texas and later graduated from the University of Maryland. During World War II, she served in the Army of the United States. She enlisted as a private in 1943, and left as a captain in 1946. She married William B. Clayton, Vice President of the General Electric Co. in Dallas, who preceded her in death. She later married Judge William Arthur Morrison, Presiding Judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, and lived in Austin from 1980 until her death in 2003.

Among her many accomplishments and affiliations, Mrs. Clayton Morrison was a member of President Kennedy's Committee of 100 on Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Crime. The committee was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 when President Kennedy declared a five-year “total attack” on juvenile delinquency, aimed at providing under-privileged youth with opportunities and support. The outgrowth of that effort was the establishment of over a thousand agencies across the country that began with the juvenile delinquency program and grew into the broader mission of fighting poverty.

In 1962, Mrs. Bess Clayton Morrison transferred 100 shares of General Electric stock to the Episcopal Foundation of Dallas, to establish a memorial endowment honoring her late husband, William B. Clayton. Mrs. Clayton Morrison received income from the fund during her lifetime and directed that, upon her death, the annual income from the fund shall be spent in support of programs for youth.

Since Mrs. Clayton Morrison’s death in 2003, income from the endowment she established has been put to good use, in support of over inner-city youth attending the annual summer Bishop’s Camp. The goal of the Bishop’s Camp is to provide a safe Christian learning environment for children to maintain their reading skills over the summer break. Through participation in the DISD summer program, children receive a free lunch and snack.

Perhaps inspired by John F. Kennedy’s idealistic call to action in the 1960’s, Mrs. Bess Clayton Morrison worked in her lifetime to help under-privileged youth and thoughtfully created a lasting legacy that continues her work today.

For information about creating a lasting legacy of your own, please contact the Episcopal Foundation of Dallas offices at 214.366.9996.