Eugene Mornell ’53, M.A. ’57

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Since 1982, Eugene S. Mornell has served as executive director of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations. Mornell’s tenure with the commission has coincided with a time of considerable ethnic and racial tension, fueled by radical changes in county demographics. Getting people to work together in such an atmosphere was, and is, and overwhelming task, but Gene Mornell accepted the challenge. He has developed a national reputation for programs dealing with hate crime, conflict resolution, cultural diversity and intergroup understanding.

The commission has sponsored vital public hearings on issues like the impact of AIDS on people of color, the effects of school reform on African American and Hispanic students and communities undergoing ethnic transition. Cultural Diversity Month, the Black-Korean Alliance and the commission’s annual women’s conference garnered special praise, becoming models for similar projects around the country.

Gene previously served with the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights under Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan, rising to become assistant staff director for program planning and evaluation.

His extraordinary efforts toward bettering his community and solving human relations problems richly entitle Gene Mornell to the recognition he now receives from his alma mater.