Walking up to Tournament House, he noticed a lone woman standing in the driveway, gazing at the long impressive line of floats gathered on Orange Grove, waiting to turn the corner onto Colorado Boulevard eventually.
She looked over at him, and startled him with a loud, “Thank you! Thank you for everything you do!” It was legendary former child star and US Ambassador to the United Nations, Shirley Temple Black, that year’s Grand Marshal.
“All I could say was, ‘Thank you for being our Grand Marshal,’” Morales told a packed ballroom at the Pasadena Hilton Thursday morning, as he was honored at the annual Pasadena Chamber of Commerce President’s Breakfast.
It was one of the many memories that Morales detailed during the morning event.
Moments earlier, 2025 Tournament of Roses Queen Lindsay Charles and her Royal Court—Lisette Parker, Saniyah Brunston, Lara Georgian, Natalia Pradhan, Simone Ball, and Kate Kelly—were escorted into the ballroom by longtime former presidents and members of the Tournament of Roses, to lend their royal presence to the event.
Morales, a longtime partner with the law firm of Borton Petrini in Los Angeles, also recalled his first visit to the Rose Parade in 1971.
“I was enthralled by the large crowd, and the majesty of the parade. I had never seen anything like it,” he said. “Nothing in all my years growing up in San Gabriel could compare to the spectacle I saw that day.”
His first step was to join the Pasadena Junior Chamber of Commerce, known as the “Jaycees,” where he would spend years on his path to eventually becoming the president of the Tournament of Roses.
He met his wife Lisa there, and since then, for 27 years, they have worked together “spreading the excitement of the Rose Parade,” he said.
Along with his memories, Morales, a 32-year Tournament of Roses volunteer, detailed some of the economic impact that the Rose Parade creates each year for Pasadena, according to a recent economic analysis.
Individually, the parade’s impact is estimated at $155 million and the Rose Bowl game, at $119 million. Morales explained that spending related to the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game supports the equivalent of 2,166 full year jobs, with the most employment in accommodations, food retail, and the entertainment sectors.
Also, said Morales, parade and game-related spending supports an estimated $35.7 million in tax revenue, which is nearly equally split between federal, state, and local levels.
Local residents spend an estimated $70 billion related to the parade and the game, said Morales, and more than 90% of New Year’s Day visitors said they would return to the area based on their positive experiences.
Morales explained that the “Best Day Ever!” theme to this year’s 136th parade was born from many evenings with his wife and daughters at the end of particularly fun or busy days.
“Lisa and I remember those special times,” he said, “when after we tucked our kids into bed, they would be telling stories about the best parts of their day, and they would always say, “Mom, Dad, today was the best day ever.”
In just over three weeks, he, joined by thousands of participants and volunteers, and an audience of millions around the world, hopes to create yet another one.
Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.
Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.
