Ian Morrison
Dec. 22, 1952-Feb. 5, 2025
Menlo Park, California
Ian passed on February 5, 2025, surrounded by family. Born December 22, 1952, in Girvan, Scotland, he grew up in Glasgow and attended Kelvinside Academy. He earned an M.A. in Geography from the University of Edinburgh and a graduate degree in Urban Planning from Newcastle University. In the late 1970s, he emigrated to Vancouver, BC, where he met his wife, Nora, and earned a Ph.D. in urban studies from the University of British Columbia. In 1985, Ian moved to California and joined the Institute for the Future (IFTF), becoming President in 1991 and President Emeritus in 1998. His most notable book The Second Curve - Managing The Velocity of Change was published in 1996. For four decades, he advised government, industry, and nonprofits, primarily in health care, working independently and with the Harris Poll, Harvard School of Public Health, Accenture, and Leavitt Partners.
Ian was a renowned author, consultant, and futurist who believed that healthcare should work for all people. He served on several nonprofit boards, including as chair of the California Health Care Foundation and on the Board of Directors of Martin Luther King Community Healthcare in Los Angeles. In 2018, he received the American Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees Award for over 20 years of service. Ian blended research and consulting, often drawing on his Glasgow roots for humor. One famous line included: “In Glasgow where I was born, death seemed imminent, in Canada where I trained inevitable, but in California where I live now, it’s thought optional.” That quote has reverberated with healthcare leaders around the world.
While Ian was known for being funny and irreverent at work, in his personal life he was also known as warm hearted, insightful, and joyous. Ian loved his family and friends deeply and tried to enjoy precious time whether through golf, good wine and food, or Kareoke. He enjoyed more than 40 years of fun and family with his true-life partner Nora. They traveled the world, played many great golf courses on trips to Europe and beyond. Together they cherished family traditions like their beloved annual trip to Priest Lake.
Ian passed on February 5, 2025 due to Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.
He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Nora, their children, David, his wife Lydia, along with grandson Elias, and their daughter Caitlin, her husband Joe, and grandson Jacob. Ian is also survived by his sister Fiona and her husband Dennis in Canada and by extended family and friends in Scotland and Canada especially Nora’s family, the Cadhams.
The family wishes to thank Jamie, Christian, Kris, and Tracy from Mission Hospice for their support and kindness over the past 8 months. An immense amount of gratitude to Susan Jacobs and Dr. Rishi Raj, whose expertise and continuous compassionate guidance made a world of difference.
A celebration of Ian's life will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers please consider donating to Martin Luther King Community Healthcare in Los Angeles https://www.mlkch.org/give-now.
