A local legend who has touched the lives of countless young people in and around Gloucester County will retire at the end of the month. Billy Moore has spent nearly four decades dedicating his life to mentoring and coaching youth and adults through Gloucester’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism department and volunteering in countless other capacities.
When Moore started his career 37 years ago, he knew he wanted to do something with sports, and worked for two years as the intramural director for Rappahannock Community College. He applied for his current position as athletics supervisor after the man who held the job for the previous 28 years had a massive heart attack.
In the meantime though, Moore had applied and had accepted a job as a truck driver for an industrial towel supply company. He was supposed to start work for that company on a Monday morning, but received a call that previous Friday from Georgette Hurley, Gloucester’s former assistant county administrator, offering him his dream job with the county.
Moore’s roles have evolved and changed over time. He recalls being the one who had to prepare all the sports fields in the county for play on his own. He now has staff members to help him to that work. He still gets up at 5:30 a.m. some Saturdays to see if the fields are too wet to play on. “I’m not going to cancel a game the night before,” he said.
Though he said he won’t miss the ever-increasing red tape involved with recreational sports these days, he will sorely miss his colleagues and the youth he has had the privilege of working with over the past four decades. He won’t go far though.
“I still plan to officiate some middle school sports and will be an associate referee in other areas and hope to also volunteer as a basketball coach,” Moore said.
“I love working with kids,” he added. “And I think it’s safe to say I don’t think anyone has coached more kids than I have; coaching anywhere from one to 18 teams (each year) for 37 years.”
One of his greatest enjoyments has been seeing the build-up of sportsmanship among players, coaches and parents. “None existed when I started,” he said. “I’m a competitive person, and I want kids to try to win, but also want them all to play. I don’t want to win at the expense of a kid.”
Moore said it is so neat to see instances of teams where there are the more talented players who always ensure that those players who may not be quite as experienced get a chance to play. “It’s amazing to see 15 to 18 year-olds like that,” he said. “You just don’t see much of that these days.”
His longtime boss and colleague Carol Steele, who directs the county’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism department, shared some kind words about him: “Billy Moore is a man of high integrity and exceptional work ethic, but it’s his values that we will miss the most—they have made an impact on Gloucester County that will be felt for many years to come. Billy’s beliefs and principles about sportsmanship kept the fun in sports so that children of all abilities enjoyed playing while at the same time they learned great life lessons. He listened to all sides during conflicts and had to make very tough decisions. Billy did the right thing and people respect and appreciate him for his fairness. He set the example of how to behave while volunteering as a coach and referee. Billy cheers for everyone and now our community of athletes, parents, children and grandchildren are cheering for him.”
Also, several members of the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors said kind things about Moore during the board’s June 6 meeting. “There’s no one I know of that’s touched more kids through athletics than Billy Moore,” said Abingdon district supervisor Robert “JJ” Orth. “He’s going to be missed.”
At-large supervisor Ashley Chriscoe also said Moore will be missed. He remembered his days of being involved with parks and rec sports and said, “Billy was there … he’s been there forever, it seems.”
At the end of the day, Moore said his years of work pay off when he hears parents tell him the important role youth sports has played in their children’s lives. “The goal of our program has always been to make sure all the kids feel like they belong and are part of the team,” he said.
He relayed the story of one participant of a parks and rec program who had a rough childhood and is now a successful adult. “She wasn’t an athlete, but said the parks and rec program saved her life. It got her to where she is today,” Moore said.
Aside from continuing to dabble in sports-related activities, Moore said he plans to stay active, get more physically fit and play some golf.
He added that he can’t thank the community enough for the words of support and encouragement people have given him since learning of his retirement during recent months. “Those words will forever be in my heart.”