The Morse Reading Room is a bright, spacious area housing the Library's small print journal collection and historical and biographical books. This room has become an indispensable facility for library users; a calm and quiet atmosphere attracts students who have discovered that the periodical room is a perfect place to study. Support from Mrs. Belle Morse enabled Yale University to create the Morse Reading Room in honor of her husband, Carl A. Morse '25s and their son, Stephen I. Morse '51, M.D.
Carl A. Morse (1905-89) was born in Minsk, Russia, and raised in New Haven. He graduated in 1925 from Yale's Sheffield Scientific School with a degree in engineering. As head of Morse Diesel, Inc., a building design and construction firm, Mr. Morse created such New York landmarks as the Pan Am Building and the Marriott Hotel in Times Square. Among his many gifts to Yale is the Belle and Carl Morse Scholarship Fund. This fund was established in 1989 to assist disadvantaged Yale students who have graduated from New Haven's Hillhouse High School, which he also attended. Morse scholars are requested to return to Hillhouse to inform younger students of the opportunities available to them at Yale.
Stephen I. Morse M.D., Ph.D. (1930-80) was born in New York and graduated from Yale in 1951 as a member of Timothy Dwight College. He received his M.D. degree from Washington University School of Medicine. As professor and chairman of microbiology and immunology at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center (now the SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn), his research centered on the study of microbial products and their effects on host responses.