Moore, William J. (1894-1980) | Eastern Kentucky University - Special Collections and Archives

Dr. William J. Moore was associated with Eastern for fifty-two years, arriving on campus as a nineteen-year-old freshman in 1913. He joined the faculty as a professor of economics in 1928 and became dean in 1945. He retired in 1965, after which a classroom building was named in his honor.

William Julius Moore was born October 25, 1894, in Booneville, Kentucky. He was the son of the late Henry Wosley and Mary Jane Moore and was the eldest of thirteen children. He was married to Nazza Kilborn Moore, and they had two children, Mary Elizabeth Roberts and William Moore. He received a two-year diploma in education from Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College and earned his A.B., A.M., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Kentucky. He also studied for two years at the UK Law School.

Moore served under former State Superintendent of Public Instruction John Fred Williams as director of the Bureau of Finance and as commissioner of revenue from 1944-1945 in the administration of Gov. Simeon Willis. He was a member of the Kentucky General Assembly in 1924 and chairman of the Kentucky State Tax Commission. His work in the state's educational development included chairing an advisory committee to the Council on Public Higher Education. He once served as chairman of the Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards.

His last work was on behalf of retired teachers. He served as founder and president of the Madison County Retired Teachers Association and on the State Legislative Commission on Retired Teachers. Moore, the author of numerous articles on economics and education was a teacher, principal, and superintendent in Kentucky schools for fourteen years before joining the faculty at Eastern. He was named a recipient of the Eastern Centennial Alumni Award in 1974.

He was a member of numerous professional and educational organizations, including the National, Kentucky, and Central Kentucky Education Associations, Kentucky Academy of Science, Kentucky Academy of Social Science, American Southern Economic Association, the National Tax Association, National Municipal League, American Society for Public Administration, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He was a member of the honorary organizations of Kappa Delta Pi, Pi Omega Pi, Phi Delta Phi, and Phi Delta Kappa. He was a member of the Richmond Lions Club, Knights of Pythias, the Christian Church, and was district governor of Lions International in 1948.

Dr. Moore died on February 26, 1980, and was buried at the Richmond Cemetery.