Founder & Legacy
Early Life and Family History
Margaret Peg Clark Morgan was born on September 5, 1918, in Kent, Ohio, to Ethel and Howard Clark. She grew up with her parents, her younger sister Eleanor, and her grandmother Lucy Brown Clark.
Peg was the great-great-granddaughter of Owen Brown, father of abolitionist John Brown. Her family preserved historical records connected to that legacy, and her father carefully maintained materials from the John Brown era. Those archives were later donated to the Hudson Library and Historical Society.
In 2009, at age 91, Peg marked the 150th anniversary of John Brown’s raid by sharing the book John Brown, His Fight for Freedom with students in Akron and Hudson classrooms. In 2010, she was named Hudson Citizen of the Year in recognition of her contribution of the archives.
Her life remained closely tied to history, education, and community.
Education, Partnership, and Entrepreneurship
Peg graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1935 as valedictorian and was recognized as “most versatile” student. After receiving a one-year scholarship to Kent State University, she went on to graduate from Miami University with a degree in business — at a time when few women pursued a college degree.
In 1939, she began working at Goodrich in Akron, where she met Burton D. Morgan. They married in 1941 and built both a family and a life rooted in entrepreneurship.
When Burt developed the “Hamburg Sizzler” in 1952, Peg secured a purchase order from Macy’s Department Store for 10,000 units. Throughout their marriage, she played a steady and essential role in supporting entrepreneurial ventures while raising their three children.
Her involvement reflected practicality, initiative, and follow through.
Community and Philanthropic Leadership
In 1959, the Morgan family moved to Hudson, Ohio, where Peg’s ancestors had settled in the early 1800s. The family established deep roots that would shape their philanthropic legacy for generations.
In 1967, Burt founded the Burton D. Morgan Foundation to advance entrepreneurship education. Peg remained engaged in community life, including supporting local arts and public events such as the Hudson Summer Music Festival.
On April 6, 2001, the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation was established in her honor. Over time, Peg became directly involved in shaping its direction, with an unwavering focus on improving the lives of people with serious mental illness.
A Foundation Shaped by Example
The foundation reflects qualities consistently demonstrated throughout Peg’s life: commitment to community, responsible stewardship, support for education, and willingness to advance new ideas.
Today, Peg’s carries that work forward by investing in innovation, strengthening partnerships, and helping improve systems of care for people living with serious mental illness.
Her legacy is not defined by a single moment. It is reflected in the sustained work of the foundation that bears her name.
What happens when the mental health safety net no longer has the capacity to provide care before someone enters the criminal justice system?
During our recent panel discussion, "Looking Back, Thinking Forward: Women and Mental Health,” Dr. Doug Smith reflected on how access to inpatient psychiatric care has changed over time—an important perspective on where mental health care has been, where we are today and the work still ahead.
#ThinkBigger
@admboard @neomededu
It’s always great to spend time with our friends and colleagues at @LoveAkron and so many others working to make Greater Akron stronger. 💙
#ThinkBigger
During a recent visit to Peg’s, NAMI CEO Dan Gillison shared that “NAMI is the voice of lived experience.”
And lived experience is everywhere—in our towns, our neighborhoods and our communities. At NAMIWalks Summit County, we saw that come to life as our local community came together to walk, connect and support one another. 💚
#NAMIWalks #ThinkBigger
Throughout history, mental health advocates from Dorothea Dix to Judi Chamberlin have challenged the status quo and pushed systems to do better.
During our August 20 panel discussion, Dr. Jennifer Bazar reflected on these agents of change and how they helped shape mental health care as we know it today.
#ThinkBigger @cchpsych
