A Question to Dan Curry

Because a person I believe to be innocent is being smeared by allegations. He deserves a chance to defend himself from shadowy attacks, don’t you think?

Here’s a letter to the editor in the Paris paper that explains the situation down there.

Paris Beacon News Editor,

I would like to make three points with this letter:
First, a man much wiser than I once said, ? if you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door? .(Ralph Waldo Emerson) Well, here in Edgar County we have a ?person of interest? that has made a fine living for himself and his employees by building several better mousetraps. From finding ways to add value to unwanted materials, to finding new ways to process material in a lower cost environment, and finding businesses that were top heavy in management and turning unprofitable situations into profit centers, Bob Morgan has built mousetraps that aren?t only better, but some that have changed the way some industries operate. The holder of several patents, nine alone in the field of dairy nutrition, he expanded his businesses and added employees over the years with little fanfare. No ?Grand Openings?, no articles in trade papers, nothing much but the attitude that what we do is important and we?ll keep our success to ourselves. When asked what Bob did ?down there?, we could have explained that years ago, Bob met someone that said his dog would rather eat cheese than steak. This started Bob on the way to build a plant that took scrap cheese products, with little value, co-dried this on a carrier and made a value added product for the pet food and swine industry. His costs were low and his profits were high, so he chose not to show anyone in the industry the process because they could have duplicated it themselves. This cheese powder product was widely used by almost all of the major dog food companies you see on your grocery store shelves. As his reputation in the pet food industry grew, so did the idea that we made dog food on the south edge of town. This product was the beginning of many products and processes to come that Bob Morgan designed and developed to have a cost advantage over the competition. Companies came to Bob to process for them, on some smaller applications (smaller to a Fortune 500 company is huge to a company in Paris, IL) because he could do it at a lower cost than they could operate their own facility. One such operation was to take deckles ( a beef product ) and grind, cook and process them into a beef slurry that was then flavored and processed into beef products for a major food company. We reprocessed product for some of the largest company?s world wide after they found they had value in something once thought to be scrap. We processed products for food companies in both fats and waxes. We made beef broth and white pepper replacers, saving the food industry money on ingredients. We took hydrogenated oils and under pressure moved the oils through a predetermined orifice and into a temperature controlled atmosphere to get a powder of a specific size for a specific application. We supplied coatings for pet food when we took a Heparin byproduct, digested it and made an attractant, causing the animal to choose the pet food with this product over one with the competition. We made the coating for a world wide fried chicken company that anyone would recognize by name. This doesn?t include many other processes, such as sterol production, that could not be summed up in one sentence. Were these endeavors profitable, you bet. Did the average person in Paris really have an interest, I doubt it. It became much easier to just live with the attitude that it was all a ?dog food plant?. Did the world beat a path to our doors? Beat a path may not be accurate, but Bob Morgan?s operations have dealt with some of the largest companies in the Fortune 500, and today in a rebuilt plant across the street from his original operation, we feed an energy supplement to approximately 500,000 dairy cows per day, and they all came to Paris because we had something to offer in our ?better mousetrap?.
Secondly, Bob and his family have been very generous with their success. His charity is legendary only to those who work with him and see the requests and checks, and to those of you that have received these. From local and national organizations, smaller groups and individuals, and even area students that have been given monies to further their education, that may not have had the opportunity otherwise. Not that there is anything wrong with having your picture taken making a donation, but this isn?t Bob Morgan?s choice. His giving was private, and therefore largely unknown, but it has always been significant for a company of our size. He has always felt that he and his family are a part of this community and therefore are willing to support important causes in the community.
And the third point I would like to make is that Bob Morgan, and his companies and businesses have employed several hundred people over the years. He has made a major impact on the economic stability of Paris and Edgar County, and has, in his 30 plus years as an employer, made it possible for families to put food on the table, purchase cars, and have a nice lifestyle for Central Illinois. These employees are grateful, but you must admit, gratitude can only run so deep. For a ?person of interest? to have done what was alleged, they would need the help of many employees. Over the years many have moved on, some to better opportunities, some moved from the area, and some even left under circumstances that were not pleasant, but none have come forward and substantiated any of the allegations. This includes bank officers and everyone throughout Bob?s organizations. With hundreds of former employees, a conspiracy such as this would not be logical, and some might say would not be possible.
In conclusion, I would just like to ask that when you hear and read things, that you look at the total picture. What happened in July 1986 was a tragedy. Two lives were cut short for reasons we may never know. Bob thought a great deal of Karen and has always spoken highly of her for the last 20 years. Allegations are just that, allegations. This will all be set straight but, please step back and look at what has happened and why some of the confusion may exist.
From some of the largest corporations in the country, to some of the smallest feed mills and farms, Bob Morgan has put them on the path to Paris with his ?better mousetraps?. Bob Morgan has been a very successful entrepreneur, and very successful businessman, a charitable individual and an employer of many. When someone makes unsubstantiated claims, that have no backup other than a ?hunch? or a ?feeling?, they are not only making the claim against Bob Morgan, but his family and all his past and present employees as well. I personally choose not to refer to Bob Morgan as a ?person of interest? but rather an ?extremely interesting person?. He has done great things over the years for this community, both charitably and economically, and I am proud that I was a small part of this and have had the opportunity to call him a boss and a friend.

Dave Kirsch
Paris, IL