New Horizons PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID OMAHA NE PERMIT NO. 389
A publication of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging
November 2022 | Vol. 47 | No. 11
Former mayor continues to make an impact
By Nick Shinker Contributing Writer nyone who knows the recent history of Omaha also knows the name PJ Morgan and the incredible impact his leadership has had on the city and the state. From professional careers in insurance and loans, to building apartments and hundreds of homes, to owning several real estate companies, to his volunteer and philanthropic work on numerous boards and civic organizations, to his service as a Nebraska senator, Omaha mayor and his current role as a Douglas County commissioner, Morgan has kept his sleeves rolled up and done whatever was asked of him for more than 50 years. Like the sleek sports cars he drives, Morgan, 82, shows no signs of slowing down. Most weekdays you’ll find him at his office at TCB Real Estate, ready to go by 7 a.m. He has a large spiral calendar filled with handwritten notes about meetings to attend and places to be. Like a one man band, he answers all his calls himself and follows up with a text or an email. His word is like gold – solid and valuable. “I wouldn’t change anything about my life,” Morgan said. “I’ve always had a job, and I tell schoolkids all the time to like what you’re doing and to do the best you can. If you like what you do, it’s
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really not work. “Not every day is perfect,” he said. “I get stressed if I lose a deal or some plans fall through. There are always peaks and valleys in life. But, all in all, I really enjoy what I have been lucky enough to do.”
P
aul Morgan Jr. was born in 1940, the son of Paul and Lucille (Cerone) Morgan. Lucille’s mother had died when she was 2 years old, and she spent 15 years at St. James Orphanage in Omaha, where she was raised by nuns. His mother originally worked for the Jubilee Horn Co., a manufacturer of automobile and bicycle horns. His father worked in his mother’s beauty shop near 24th and Poppleton Avenue and did some real estate work as well. When Morgan was young, the family lived near 23rd and Leavenworth and he attended nearby Mason School. “My parents had a home built for them at 55th and Pacific,” he recall. “My mom saw how the contractors worked organizing everything and she learned from it. She became one of very few women builders in the late 1940s.” The family would build a home
and live in it until it was sold, then build another. “We moved 17 times while I was in school,” Morgan said. “Our entertainment was driving around looking for lots to buy.” No matter where they lived, there was only one telephone in the house. “When it rang, if it was for me, my mother wouldn’t call out, ‘Paul!’ Paul was always dad. I was Paul Jr., so if it was for me, she’d call out, ‘P.J.!’ When my friends at school found out, they starting saying, ‘Hey Pajamas!’ Ever since, the name P.J. just stuck.” Morgan learned respect and the value of hard work from his parents, and he held many jobs as a
youngster. “When I was 11 or 12, I worked at Playland Park selling pop,” he recalls. “I was a sacker at Broadmoor Market in Countryside Village for 35 cents an hour. At 13, I worked washing cars and changing tires at a Skelly Gas Station for 50 cents an hour. After that, I made $1.80 an hour assembling boxcars at the Union Pacific Shops out on Abbott Drive near the airport.” His father was a motorcycle enthusiast and a member of the Cavalier Motorcycle Club, which sparked Morgan’s interest in owning and riding motorcycles, which he --Morgan continued on page 11.
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Growing sport: Pickleball
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States. Find out more about the different ways to play pickleball on Page 16.