Carl Moore, of South Burlington, passed away on March 17, 2024, at
the McClure Miller Respite House, after a brief illness.
Born in Hudson,
N.Y., Carl was educated in the Hudson Public Schools, where he also
captained the tennis team. He received both his BA and MA from
Rutgers University, studying American history and journalism. After
graduation he worked as an assistant to the president and taught at
Monmouth Community College.
While a student at
Rutgers, Carl loved the proximity to New York City, and on Saturdays,
he would take the train into the city to see a matinee, have a
cocktail and listen to all kinds of music in the evening. He adored
the theater and later acted himself with a local group. He walked all
over the city, immersing himself in its sights and history. He
married Patricia Moore and had two sons, William and Thomas; three
granddaughters and four grandchildren were added to the family over
the years.
Carl’s love of
words led him through journalism to work as a reporter for a local
newspaper and then as editor. He moved on to work as a journalist for
UPI, covering the New Jersey state house, where he came to the
attention of legislators. He became a staff member to a nonpartisan
committee supporting the legislature and was then tapped by the
governor to lead the group charged with rewriting the laws and the
plan for developing community services for the mentally ill. He ended
his career working for ten years at the Law Project, a nonprofit
providing legal services to the elderly and disabled, where he was
director of development. While there he hosted a weekly cable
television program and interviewed advocates and providers for the
disability community, while expanding knowledge of topics that were
not widely understood or accepted.
Carl and Pat
divorced after 20 years of marriage, and he spent the next 20 years
with a companion who shared and supported their common interests.
Together they traveled extensively in Europe, immersed themselves in
the rich cultural life of the city and the Berkshires, and created a
large and strong circle of friends. Carl became a good cook and baker
and delighted in entertaining.
In 1996 Carl
relocated to Mendon, Mass., and married Susan Darnell two years
later. Settling into a new family and community, he volunteered on
the governing board of the UU church, at the ACLU in Boston and on
several committees at the local hospital. His greatest satisfaction
was the establishment of a monthly poetry group that became a
community fixture. When not volunteering, he built a library of some
thousand books, primarily history and commentary and, above all,
poetry. He also curated a substantial music collection. These
collections followed him in 2015, when he and Susan relocated to
South Burlington, where he became a founding member of the South
Village ROMEO’S.
Anyone who knew Carl
would immediately think of two things: his quick wit and the
immensity of his mind. He cared passionately about politics, justice
and the efforts of good government, but he would not turn away from
those who held different views.
He leaves his
brother, Robert Moore, of R.I.; sons William in Kentucky and Thomas
in Washington; granddaughters Brandi in Virginia, Shannon and Ashley
in Kentucky, and four great-grandchildren. He also leaves his wife,
Susan; Heather and Ian Durrell of the United Kingdom; and Elise and
Tyrone Bellitti in Massachusetts.
A celebration of
life will be held in the spring.
This article appears in Mar 20-26, 2024.