For Pasadena native John T. Morris, the practical majesty and history of the Morris Dam runs close to home, as his grandfather was its lead engineer. “He was the founding general manager of the Pasadena Water Department and chief engineer,” Morris said of his grandfather, Samuel Brooks Morris. “He started in the mid-1920s, planning for the Pine Canyon Dam because he knew we would have to have a place to store water.” Dedicated in May of 1934 by former President Herbert Hoover, a personal friend, it became known as the Morris Dam, situated in the San Gabriel Mountains above Azusa. Marking its 90th anniversary, and celebrating its unique role and progressive design, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will officially recognize it as a National Historical Civil Engineering Landmark, Wednesday, Oct. 16.