Margaret C. Moore

Margaret C. Moore Building entrance, 1995
 

Let’s take a stroll through campus.  As you walk down the McIver pedestrian mall towards McIver Street, a red brick building stands on your left.  One of the Moore buildings.  To be exact, the Margaret C. Moore Building.  

Ms. Moore, like many names that grace our campus buildings, remains largely unknown to current students, faculty, and staff.   So here are some things you might like to know:




Margaret's senior picture at WC

Margaret Catherine Moore of Baltimore, Maryland, attended the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in physical education and biology in 1935.

While in school, Margaret was a member of the Adelphian Literary Society, the Athletic Association Cabinet, College Chorus, Playlikers, and the Student Government Association Judicial Board.



 

Margaret and her friends at Camp "Ahutforfun"

Evidence of  Margaret's activities while at the WC can be found in her scrapbook, which is part of the Margaret Catherine Moore Papers housed in the Special Collections and University Archives.   The scrapbook contains numerous notes, letters, programs, and photographs, making it easy to see how much she was involved with the activities (both social and academic) at her school.

After graduating from WC, Margaret attended New York University where she received her Master of Arts degree in guidance and counseling.  She then went on to receive a diploma in nursing from Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing in New York, and then a second graduate degree, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Professor Moore, c. 1960

It was with her career in nursing that Margaret's life found meaning.  As Chancellor James Ferguson said of Ms. Moore, "She entered into a conscientious application of her understanding and energies to an expansion of knowledge of health and the means by which health service might be employed to lessen suffering, to succor the weak, and to sustain the strong."

Margaret served on the faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill for six years, then returned to UNCG in 1967 as one of the first ten faculty for the newly formed School of Nursing.  The Search Committee was pleased to hire one of UNCG's own graduates as one of the members of the original faculty to teach
nursing.

Margaret made significant contributions to UNCG's School of Nursing, particularly the School of Nursing building.  She served as Chairman of the Building Committee, contributing  her creativity and knowledge of learning needs to develop plans for the building.  The School of Nursing building was dedicated on Founder's Day (October 5th) 1969. 

Professor Moore passed away in 1975 at the age of 62.  The School of Nursing building was name in her honor during the tenth anniversary observance of the founding of the School of Nursing, held on October 5, 1976.

"Woodsy Paths" and "Ferocious Creatures" at Camp Ahuntforfun

Camping and outdoor recreation have been a staple of UNCG student life since the early 1900s. The student Athletic Association, soon after its founding in 1900, coordinated short hikes around campus. In 1922, a need for longer hikes and more outdoor recreational opportunities led faculty members and students to begin renting cabins around the Greensboro area for overnight excursions. Students who hiked at least 100 miles in shorter campus-based outings were allowed to attend these off-campus trips.

The log cabin at Camp Ahuntforfun

While this gave students the opportunity for outdoor recreation and education, issues arose which led students and faculty members to request the College purchase its own camp site. In the 1924 annual report for the Department of Physical Education, Department Head Mary Channing Coleman wrote that the Athletic Association would not be returning to their previous campsite as “the lodge has been broken into and the greater part of our meager equipment stolen.” Three years later in the 1927 annual report, Coleman argued a “college camp is urgently needed, not only as an item of our sports and recreation equipment, but as one factor in our teacher training.”

Fun times at Camp Ahutforfun

When the College did not purchase a camp, the Athletic Association began raising funds to purchase one itself. The group sold gym uniforms and swimsuits to fellow students in order to raise the $3,500 needed to purchase a camp site on Pleasant Garden Road, about five miles from campus. The two-acre site featured a log cabin with a large front porch and sleeping space, a well approximately 80-feet deep and a stream which the students hoped could later be developed into a swimming pool.

Students visiting Camp Ahutforfun

On Saturday, March 23, 1929, nine students and one faculty chaperone made the inaugural visit to the camp. Rain on the first day kept the campers near the cabin, where they entertained themselves with bridge, dancing, horseshoes and an Easter egg hunt. On Sunday, however, clear skies allowed the students to take what the Carolinian described as “a long hike through the woodsy paths and pastures, carefully avoiding those that were suspected of containing ferocious animals.”

The Athletic Association continued to grow their camp, adding a large outdoor fireplace, volleyball nets and other equipment. In 1932, after a campus wide contest, the camp was officially named “Camp Ahutforfun.” Students continued use of the camp site until 1943, when the Athletic Association purchased a larger tract of land near the Guilford Battleground site.