There is an anticipatory silence before a board of trustees meeting.

Faculty, students and community speakers wait for the side door to open and reveal those responsible for deciding on the college’s future.

Upon entering, Trustee Gwendolyn Morrison takes her designated seat beside Chancellor Elva LeBlanc. Morrison commands attention earned through 50 years serving on the board.

Morrison was first elected in 1976 at 26 years old. Since then, she has won nine elections and worked with six chancellors.

As the 17th child to a father who only had a fourth-grade education, she would not be the same person without access to public education herself, Morrison said.

Morrison was never a stranger to being an elected official. Her interest in public office began when she became student council president in fifth grade and later senior class president.

“Public speaking was always something that I did, and I was trained. So it wasn’t that different,” Morrison said.

Before she ran as a member of the board of trustees, she familiarized herself with running an election through her husband, Ben Morrison.

She had accompanied him on speaking engagements across Fort Worth during his time as a local precinct chair and while he ran for state representative. During this time, her husband challenged Morrison to not let him outgrow her.

“I think that is a great plan that any couple can have: to grow for each other, to grow on their own but then to grow together as well,” Morrison said.

Morrison has represented East and Southeast Fort Worth, Forest Hill, Everman and part of Southwest Fort Worth. She said it has always been a community of pride for her and the people who live there, beginning as a working-class professional neighborhood populated by homeowners.

“In terms of diversity, there’s more,” Morrison said. “There are more renters, but there’s still people living here by choice.”

TCC has grown from a small junior college into a multi-campus district. State funding issues, construction delays and a dip in enrollment due to coronavirus have presented challenges.

But Morrison says she sees every challenge as an opportunity for growth.

“That’s the way that I not only approach my board service, but I try to approach my life,” Morrison said. “To do something different, yes, but maybe to do something better. To make the difference be better than it was.”

Choices made by the board when faced with challenges impact students and faculty and have broad effects on Tarrant County. Morrison said she values community feedback when making decisions.

“I believe that in listening to those opposing views, you might find ways to refine your own thinking and to tweak your own pathway to what you see as the goal,” Morrison said.

Morrison said she is confident about the future of public education. Affordability and access are the challenges that all trustees have to tackle, she said.

“I believe that public education is a hallmark of democracy, and I think it’s so important that we utilize public education and make it available to all citizens, whether they are pursuing citizen status, or guest status.” Morrison said.

Morrison’s impact on TCC is recognized by those she worked alongside. In a board meeting, LeBlanc and her fellow board members celebrated Morrison’s 50th anniversary on the board of trustees.

Attending grade school when Morrison began her career, Vice President Leonard Hornsby said her individualized touch and long presence on the board helped him adjust.

“You get fed with a water hose when you get to a board meeting, and she was always there to calm me down, make it plain, while always helping us to remember that our focus has to be on the success of the student,” Hornsby said.

Her influence extended beyond the boardroom and into the relationships she built with those around her, said board President Jeannie Deakyne.

“You are incredibly inclusive,” she said. “You have a way of inviting people in, bringing people to tables, events and conversations where I may not have known anyone, but I have left better for being there.”

Morrison’s impact was not only felt in the boardroom but also reflected in her longevity. Her name had become synonymous with the college, Hornsby said.

“From the time I’ve known Tarrant County College, there’s also just been one name that I heard constantly,” he said. “Lots of things have changed over the years, but Dr. Gwen Morrison’s name was always associated with the Board of Trustees.”

This will be Morrison’s final term serving on the board, ending May 2031. After 50 years, she says she continues focusing on her job and has not had time to consider retirement plans.

“I used to say that I wanted to go spend a year in New York and live overlooking Central Park and go to Broadway every night, but I’ll settle for some vicarious experiences right now,” Morrison said.