Beth Moor Papers

Collection — Container: OS 1-4

Identifier: MSS 1986-023

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection includes general correspondence of Beth Moor, newsclippings, photographs, and memorabilia of and about Beth Moor. A large part of this collection concerns former Florida Governor Spessard Holland as well as the Florida State College for Women (FSCW) and The Florida State University (FSU). Included in the papers are correspondence about Governor Holland, the FSU Alumni Association, and Alpha Delta Pi. Also includes photographs and memorabilia concerning Governor Holland, Beth Moor, and both FSCW and FSU.

Dates

Created: 1918-1986

Creator

Moor, Beth Walton, 1897-1986 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to all researchers.

Conditions Governing Use

To request permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from the archives, please contact Heritage & University Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. Researchers must obtain separate permission from the copyright holders of material held within University Archives collections for which the institution does not hold copyright.

Biographical or Historical Information

Beth Walton Moor was born April 3, 1897 in Pensacola, Florida and attended Florida State College for Women (FSCW) on an Alumni Association scholarship. She graduated in 1918 with degrees in mathematics and home economics. She taught these courses at Pensacola High School and in summer school at FSCW until she married Frank D. Moor in 1926.

She immediately became active in local women's groups. With her husband Frank, they organized the Tallahassee Garden Club in 1927. She received the Blanche Covington Leadership Award, the highest award bestowed by the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs. She was president of the Tallahassee Garden Club during World War II, when most of its activities supported the war effort including planting victory gardens, rolling bandages, and entertaining service men.

Mrs. Moor was a charter member of the Board of Trustees of the Florida State University Foundation, the first life member of the Foundation, and was one of the first 10 recipients of Friends of Florida State University, an honor bestowed on her in 1966 by the student body. She held every elective position in the Florida State Alumni Association, served twice as state and national president of that organization, and was the primary organizer for fund-raising efforts for the construction of the Longmire Alumni Building on the FSU campus. The building's main lounge was renamed the Beth Walton Moor Lounge in 1984. Moreover, Tallahassee named Moor "Woman of the Year" in 1967, and a "Beth Moor Day" was also held in her honor. In 1983, she received a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Florida State University.

Beth Moor was a creative artist. She arranged flowers for many local functions and weddings, and decorated the Governor's Mansion for the inaugural receptions of many Florida governors. For many years, she was considered Tallahassee's unofficial hostess, entertaining house guests such as Eleanor Roosevelt and author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.

Beth Moor died June 17, 1986. Many of her activities, particularly her association with former Florida governors and work with the Florida State University Alumni Association, are documented in the collection.