William E. Moore

William E. Moore A 'man of honor' is the phrase America's business community titled Bill Moore. A man of 'trust, integrity and one who always does the right thing' were accolades passed on by those concerned to this man throughout his life. Co-workers, employees, customers, friends, and family came to know that the reputation had been richly deserved throughout a lifetime of achievement and accomplishment. That lifetime concluded on Nov. 21, 2004, when Bill Moore (age 87) passed away at his home in Woodside, California.

Born in Poteau, Oklahoma (1917), he and his family moved to Hartford, Arkansas where he was raised and went to high school, and is where he developed a love for tennis. His life-story depicts true 'rag to riches' success story. Raised in a small Arknasas town, he spent most of his time during the difficult days of the early 1930's simply helping his family make ends meet. With a strong sense of determination, he and a neighborhood boy spent their spare time playing tennis. This unlikely athletic endeavor paid off by propelling the 2 small town tennis buffs into the state doubles championship. After graduation from high school, he arrived at Georgia Tech in Oct. 1934 on a tennis scholarship and earned his living expenses performing a broad range of campus jobs. He graduated with a degree in industrial manangement and chemical engineering (1938) from Georgia Tech aloong with an illustrious athletic record in tennis.

By today's standards he could have been a professional tennis player if he had chosen that path. But, a friendship with Dean George Griffin of Georgia Tech, started while he attended college and brought about successes in the business world. Before beginning a career in the paint business, Bill joined the U.S. Navy during World War II, after Officer Training School at Columbia University. Bill served two years in the South Pacific Theatre as an officer on a destroyer.

After his military service, he was married on July 20, 1946 to Desiree Virginia Buchanan whom he met during WWII in Hawaii. Desiree was involved in the Red Cross in WWII. Following, he convinced retiring former director of Glidden Co., Bill Kelly, to join him in his first business, one that became a household word in the paint industry, the Kelly-Moore Paint Company in San Carlos.

His commitment to excellence and fairness paved the way for Kelly-Moore to become the leading paint company in the western United States. Because of his many innovations, continual growth, excellence to detail, and concern for the customer, Kelly-Moore became the largest privately owned company in the U.S. Mr. Moore always managed to hire top people and created a friendly atmosphere for his employees. His success continued to other fields - the California Insurance Company of Monterey, California, and the purchase of the Broken O Ranch in Montana.

With the same business leadership that made him a success in the paint business, he developed the largest irrigated ranch in Montana, the Broken O Ranch, Augusta, Montana.

Bill was always a giver. His generosity was apparent in donations to many charities, including one that was special to him, his alma mater, the Georgia Institue of Technology (Georgia Tech), the place that helped him get a start in the real world, including his job influenced by Dean George Griffin. Driving through campus today, one see Bill memorialized in the Bill Moore Tennis Center and the Bill Moore Student Center - the Success Center, and Institute landmark, dedicated to the students of Georgia Tech.

Less obvious but as important a contribution is the endowed scholarship progam for intercollegiate tennis. Because Bill's generous spirit, students who are yet to come will be given the opportunity to learn about a plan for success to carry them through their lives. In a 1993 speech, Bill said to the Tech students who would benefit from his contributions, 'May each find the foundation for a successful life; a positive balance of mind, body, and spirit.'

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to your favorite charity or to the Bay Area Gardeners Foundation, 193 Arch, Suite A, Redwood City, CA 94062 or to Georgia Tech - Alexander Thorpe Fund Inc., 150 Bobby Dodd Way NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, your gift is 100% tax deductible.

REDWOOD CHAPEL

847 Woodside Rd.

Redwood City, CA

(650) 369-5537