About the author
Philip E. Morris, Jr. is a 1983 graduate of Birmingham-Southern College
with a BS in chemistry and is a 1988 graduate of the University of Alabama
at Birmingham with a PhD in synthetic organic chemistry. He has spent his
professional career working in the pharmaceutical industry developing novel
therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and viral diseases. He has more than
40 publications and patents related to these studies.
In 1980 Morris began collecting early American clocks and has an interest in
those made with wooden movements and those produced by one of America's
most iconic clockmakers, Joseph Ives. In late 2003 he began a systematic study
of wooden tall clocks and their makers, which ultimately culminated in the
publication of his book, American Wooden Movement Tall Clocks: 1712–1835.
In June 2017 Morris led an exhibit of more than 75 clocks produced by Ives, the
largest and most comprehensive collection of Ives clocks ever assembled.
In the early 1990s, a mutual friend introduced Morris to John B. McLemore. Both
shared interests in horology, chemistry, and gardening. From these common
bonds, a friendship grew that lasted until John's untimely passing. Morris spent
many hours with John in his shop and was fortunate to see firsthand many of the
clocks in this exhibit, as well as other significant clocks that were restored under
John's careful hands.