Lloyd E. Moore Jr. was born on November 28, 1915, in East Williamson, WV. His home was situated half a mile up from the base of the Appalachian Mountains, in Bluefield, W.V. His father, Lloyd, was 26 and his mother, Effie, was 25. His Father, Lloyd E Moore Sr., was the manager of the YMCA, where he concentrated on helping the families of the men who worked on the railroad. Bluefield was a railroad hub at the time and the men, women and children who were living in and around Bluefield during the years of the Great Depression needed guidance and support.

Lloyd Jr. was deeply influenced by his father's belief in public service. Lloyd graduated from Bluefield High and first attended Emory and Henry College in Emory, VA, for two years, moving on to George Williams College in the Hyde Park section of Chicago for another two years. This college was a springboard for students interested in training for work in the YMCA. Lloyd spent a number of summers working on the staff at the Silver Bay Retreat Center on the shores of Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State.

Springfield College, in Springfield, MA was his next move. He graduated in 1938 and started working at the Springfield YMCA. While employed there, he met and fell in love with his future wife, Rose Dupre, who was enrolled in the Springfield Nursing College. They were married in Springfield in July of 1942.  Lloyd received his commission from the Coast Guard Academy at the end of 1942 and reported for duty on January 4th, 1943. He saw action in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters of War and was delivering troops for the invasion of Japan on the U.S.S. Randall when the war ended after the Japanese Government surrendered following the atom bomb drops in August of 1945. The Randall reversed course and the soldiers returned home. At the war’s end, Lloyd was hired by the New York City YMCA Youth Department and he and Rose moved to New York City, where they lived in an apartment provided by the Y on Central Park West. A few years later, the Brooklyn Queens YMCA hired Lloyd to work in the camping division, where he coordinated staffing and camper enrollment for Camp Brooklyn, a historic Y Camp in the Poconos Mountains. He was responsible for Camp Pratt, as well, another rustic camp in Bear Mountain, NY. He spent his summers directing the camp in the Poconos, bringing together an international staff and a full complement of campers. He reveled in the job, finding joy and fulfillment in the faces of excited youngsters engaged and enthused by the fun, the challenges, and the excitement of their daily activities, from reveille to taps.

Lloyd spent almost a decade at Camp Brooklyn, his wife Rose, assisting as a nutritionist and camp nurse. Their children, David and Ulvert, had the opportunity to enjoy a camper’s life each summer, escaping from the sweltering suburbs of Long Island where Lloyd and Rose had moved at the tail end of the 1940’s. Following his tenure at Camp Brooklyn (Camp Pratt had been sold in the interim), Lloyd assumed the position of Camping Operations Director for the YMCA of Greater NY. He worked tirelessly to staff the Y camps in Huguenot, NY and fill Camps Greenkill, Talcott, and McAllister with summer campers.

Lloyd returned to Huguenot through the mid and late sixties, bringing his unique style to the management of the camps. He offered a firm handshake and a friendly smile to all he met, assisted in fund raising, and remained open to new ideas and influences as times changed. Staff members met and fell in love, later married and had children, and remain grateful for the experiences shared at camp.

Lloyd Moore was a role model for many who met and worked with him. In 1970, he was offered the job of Director at YMCA Camp Sloane in Lakeville, Connecticut. He accepted the position and remained at the helm of the camp from 1970 to 1979. Lloyd and Rose enjoyed those years, residing for the summers in a rustic cottage at Foggy Bottom, situated at the edge of the lake.

In 1979, Lloyd retired from camping, but kept his interest in all things “Y.” He and Rose retired to Clearwater, FL, where Lloyd continued to help at the YMCA. He was an active member of the C.B. Willis Chapter close to his home, an organization for retired Y executives. A member of the Rotary and an elder at Peace Memorial Church in Clearwater, he and Rose remained busy in retirement, volunteering as well at shelters when the temperatures dropped, or a hurricane caused family displacement, or when meals had to be prepared and served to those in need. They also travelled frequently, arriving in Bethlehem for Christmas celebrations, visiting France, and Hawaii, Spain and Portugal, Egypt and other destinations. Lloyd retired from the Coast Guard Reserves a Captain, and the privileges that afforded him allowed them to travel aboard military transports, making travel affordable and adventurous. They always returned from their trips with many rolls of film and good stories.

Lloyd and Rose kept in close contact with their many friends from the military, from the church and from the YMCA. As the 1980’s waned, both Lloyd and Rose began to slow down just a little. They travelled less and spent the summers at a home in Saugerties, NY to get away from the heat of Florida summers. Lloyd and Rose sold their home in Clearwater and moved into an apartment in Safety Harbor, FL , which became home for them for the final chapter of their lives.

Lloyd E Moore, Jr. passed away on July 6, 1998 at the age of 83. His wife Rose, carried on with purpose and tenacity, presiding as President of the clearwater Garden Club for two separate terms, volunteering at a local elementary school to teach children about gardening and horticulture, and continuing to travel north during the summers. Rose Moore passed away on June 5, 2007, in Safety Harbor, and Lloyd and Rose are buried beside one another in a shady grove in Sylvan Abbey Cemetery in Clearwater.

Lloyd Moore’s philosophy was the symbol and mission of the YMCA, bringing Spirit, Mind, and Body into harmony for all those who worked with him and enjoyed his sense of humor, his sense of community, his easy ability to communicate, and his love of the camping experience. He had a profound influence on people he met as a friend, mentor, leader, and co-worker.

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