A Tribute to Lillian Perkins Morse (1935–2002)

Former board member and past president of Waynesboro Players Lillian Perkins Morse died from cancer on March 20, 2002.  It is a fitting tribute to Lil that Waynesboro Players along with the cast and crew of this production dedicate Pierre and Marie to her memory.   

Lillian was passionate and enthusiastic about promoting the arts in all forms not only on the local level but also actively serving on the board of the Virginia Commission for the Arts.  She was on the steering committee that founded the Artisans Center of Virginia and was a founder and president of Four County Players in Barboursville.  In Waynesboro she was the founder of Imagine That! Theatre for children and president of the Wayne Theatre Alliance.  Lillian was a 20-year veteran, on stage and back stage, of Waynesboro Players and spearheaded the effort to purchase Players’ permanent home on East Main Street.   

Lillian was formally trained as a performer and music educator at Newman College.  She was a natural at bringing people together and getting them involved in community theatre and community service.  That involvement often included her husband Joe and their four children.  She never missed an opportunity to share her experience, knowledge and love of theatre.  Waynesboro is fortunate that she generously shared her talents, her devotion to the arts and her endless energy in such diverse ways.  In 2002 Waynesboro Players established the Lillian Perkins Morse Scholarship that is awarded annually to a student who is continuing their college education in the performing arts.      

When it became obvious that the cancer was terminal, she just smiled and said it was okay;  she said she was so lucky to have had a full, wonderful life. That full and wonderful life touched and inspired so many people in so many ways.  To those who knew her, Lillian Morse is still with us, in our hearts and in our memories.

—Becky Price