Morris D. Hayes received his bachelor and master degree in music education from the University of Nebraska in 1947 and 1948, respectively. He began his career directing high school chorus from 1948 until 1956, when he began instructing chorus at the university level beginning at the University of Wisconsin-Extension in Madison (1956-57). He served as chairman of music education and director of Glee Clubs as well as the Oratorio Instructor of Music at Kansas State University from 1957-1966. When Hayes joined the UW-Eau Claire faculty in 1966 as director of choral organizations, the university had one choir. He soon developed a men’s chorus, then a women’s chorus. By 1975, he was conducting the Concert Choir, Oratorio Society, Singing Statemen, and Women’s Chorus, a total of 600 students weekly. He participated in professional organizations including the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), serving as president from 1972 to 1974. He also served as a guest conductor for various organizations and traveled abroad extensively for research and for choir tours from the late 1960s until the 1980s. Hayes retired from the university in 1987. He passed away on June 15, 2006, in Oceanside, California at the age of 87.