ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, May 27, 1996 TAG: 9605280067
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-5 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
Each day, Clarence R. Morgan walked four blocks from his home on Patterson Avenue Southwest to the corner of 13th Street. The leisurely exercise was a chance to hand out the evangelical literature he so admired.
One month ago, he stopped taking his walks. He never explained why.
Wednesday, the 65-year-old Korean War veteran got on a city bus and did not return. Since then, police and the couple he lives with have been searching for him.
The 5-foot-7 Morgan wasn't wearing his dentures the day he disappeared. He abhorred them, said Freddy and Lena Wells, who have attended to Morgan's needs for the past 19 years. The couple runs a community care house at 1730 Patterson Ave. They have taken care of more than 30 veterans in their quarter-century of work. Right now, Morgan is their only tenant.
"It seemed like to me he was under a deep study," said Lena Wells, describing Morgan the morning of his disappearance. "He had his mind on something else."
What he was thinking about is still a mystery. He wanted to speak with Freddy Wells, who had slept in that morning. At 8 a.m., he caught the bus that stops across from the Wells' home. Lena Wells saw him get on the bus.
When he didn't return, the couple searched the neighborhood. Then they contacted the police.
"It was unusual for him to go downtown unless he had an appointment at the hospital," Freddy Wells said. Morgan is mentally ill and has a heart condition. If he does not take his prescribed medicine, he can become disoriented, according to the Wellses.
He doesn't read newspapers or watch TV. He is a man who needs one thing to survive: the Bible. The book lay atop his bureau Sunday, the front cover torn off and its onionskin pages curled at the edges.
He was last seen wearing khaki-colored pants, a pale yellow shirt and glasses. He had only $10 in his pocket.
Roanoke police have asked anyone with information about Morgan's disappearance to call them at 981-2212.
LENGTH: Short : 47 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Clarence R. Morgan got on a Roanoke bus Wednesday andby CNBstill hasn't returned.