Mo Udall - Legacy

Legacy

In 1992, the US Congress founded the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation. It is an agency of the executive branch of the federal government, and among other functions, gives scholarships to students of environmental policy. In 2009, Congress added Mo's brother, Stewart Udall, into the foundation by renaming it the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation.

Federal funds for Parkinson's research are designated through the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Act of 1997. The legislation funded a national network of "Centers of Excellence" to diagnose and treat Parkinson disease patients, and to refer patients into research protocols.

In 1996, Morris received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Clinton.

Morris Udall's son Mark Udall was elected to the U.S. Congress from Colorado's 2nd district in 1998 and to the U.S. Senate in 2008. His nephew Tom Udall of New Mexico was also elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008, while second cousin Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon was defeated for re-election the same year.

In Tucson, Arizona, the main post office and a city park are named in his honor. Point Udall on Guam, considered the westernmost point of the United States, is also named for him.

Despite his years of service, the only political acquaintance who regularly visited him during his final years in a Veteran's hospital was his friend Senator John McCain.