2/16/2003 Miss Maggie "Moore" than a teacher

Miss Maggie Juanita Moore had a significant impact on many G. W. Jackson High students. Courtesy photo

By KEN HALL

Special to the Daily Sun

Any people having any spattering of knowledge can most likely credit their successes to a special teacher who took his or her time out of their lives to spend valuable minutes with them. Over the years you can look back with fond recollections of those people filling that niche and how their guidance shaped your lives and the ways you think. They have a treasured place in your memories.

Of the many students who passed through the halls of G. W. Jackson High, more than a few can say Miss Maggie Juanita Moore was one of these individuals. Always interested in young people, Moore made sure the students under her care were well versed in being responsible citizens in life. She encouraged membership in such activities as Tri-Hi-Y and Top Teens of America, to name a few.

The seventh child of Alfred and Lucy Moore, she was a Corsicana native and a graduate of Jackson. She received a B.A. degree from Huston-Tillotson in Austin in 1936. She obtained her master's of education from Texas Southern University and pursued further study at The University of Iowa and East Texas State. Her call to teaching brought her back to Corsicana, leading her first to Booker T. Washington Elementary, then to Jackson. In all, Moore instructed students for 35 years.

The one thing everyone has said about Moore was her attention to detail. No project she undertook would be halfway done, and anyone who questioned her methods were quietly, but finally, told to help or stand aside.

"One time we had a 'Tom Thumb' wedding at our church (Bethel A.M.E.) for a fund-raiser," said Mable Scott. "She wanted everything to look like an actual wedding, which meant the 'groom' had to wear a dark suit and the 'bride' a white dress. My granddaughter was included, which meant getting a dress for her. We had trouble finding a veil, but Miss Moore suggested using a white hat and placing a thin cloth over it. It went off without any problems and was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen."

Along with her school and church activities, Moore served as chairman of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center from 1966 to 1973 and was a founding member of the MLK Holiday Commission. During her time as chairman, Moore was instrumental with the "Miss Community Center" pageant and the "Top Ladies of Distinction," both activities encouraging young African-American girls to participate in talent shows and community service. These young ladies collected funds for the United Way and visited the sick at Christmas as part of their duties.

Over her long years of service, Moore either organized or participated in various extracurricular school activities such as the "Queen's Coronation" at Jackson, a very fond event for the students, and special events for the MLK Commission like "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," which sponsored guest speakers. With her passing Jan. 22, 1994, the community lost a bright light in Maggie J. Moore, but that self-same light has become a beacon and inspiration to all who knew her.

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