Ellen Ryneck Horton Morgandied on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at her home in Salina, Kansas surrounded by her loving family. A mother of three and grandmother to seven, Ellen lived life to the fullest appreciating the creativity of her family, her friends and her state. She spent twenty-five years advocating for Kansas artists and cultural organizations and personally collecting artwork that depicted the beauty and landscape of Kansas. She is cherished by her large family and remembered by many friends in Kansas and around the country who saw her as a mentor and role model, both as mother and as a professional arts administrator.
Ellen was born on September 20, 1943 in Hays, Kansas to William Ryneck Horton, Jr. and Mary Ellen Brown Horton. She was the eldest of five children. She graduated from Atwood High School in 1961 and attended Lindenwood College, Kansas State University, and Bob Jones University.
She married Stan Morgan in 1963 and they made their home in Oberlin, Kansas. They had three children, Ward Morgan, Rachael Morgan Decker and Ryneck Morgan Sharp. The couple later divorced. Ellen became executive director of the Association of Community Arts Agencies of Kansas (ACAAK), an organization providing professional development, advocacy and educational opportunities for communities throughout Kansas. She built this organization to be a national model for rural states in supporting and encouraging artistic activities in all communities, even the smallest and most rural. She was a pioneer in bringing those interested in arts and culture into the political arena to lobby for policies that encouraged arts access and arts education in public schools. This position led her to leadership roles in national organizations such as the State Arts Advocacy League of America and the Community Arts Network. She served as a mentor for those in other states attempting to duplicate the work she had accomplished in Kansas and was a consultant for Americans for the Arts, a national advocacy organization, in Washington, DC. Ellen received many recognitions for her work but she was particularly pleased to receive the Kansas Governor's Arts Award in 1993, following in the footsteps of Norman and Ann Jeter, her beloved uncle and aunt. Throughout her career, she was a devoted mother and grandmother, hosting large holiday dinners, birthdays and anniversaries at her home in Salina and proud of the accomplishments of each member of her family. She is survived by her three children and their spouses: Ward and Brenda Morgan of Manhattan, Rachael (Morgan) and Tim Decker of Valley Center, and Ryneck (Morgan) and Leon Sharp of Phillipsburg and seven grandchildren: Silas Decker, Brittany Shigemitsu and her husband Ryo, Jordyn Sharp, Brandi Spray, Jake Decker, Madison Mathes, Matthew Morgan and Great Mimi to Carmen, Cameryn and Delilah. She is also survived by her mother Mary Ellen Horton of Atwood; sister Jennifer Horton Woofter and husband Mike of Colby; and three brothers, Bill Horton Ill, of Atwood, Barney Horton and wife Cathy of Atwood and Silas Horton of Wichita. She was preceded in death by her father, William (Bill) Ryneck Horton, Jr.
Graveside service will be held Saturday, August 8, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. at Sunset Cemetery in Manhattan, Kansas.
Due to pandemic concerns, the service will be broadcast via Zoom (info below.) If you do plan to attend in person, city regulations require masks and social distancing protocols. An informal come and go reception will be held at Tallgrass Taphouse from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Smokey Hill River Festival c/o Salina Arts and Humanities, and Kansas Sampler Foundation.
Zoom link
Topic: Ellen Morgan graveside service
Time: Aug 8, 2020 10:30 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:
https://civicplus.zoom.us/j/92048372201?pwd=WHFlR3d2NHJ3ZDdrK0k5Vk1ucE5DQT09
Password: tenlawns