Double alumnus' estate commitment pays tribute to late wife and transformative education
David Moon (ADL ’53; GRS ’64, history) turned 94 in May, but it hasn’t slowed him down. This summer, he returns to the amusement park Cedar Point for his 11th year as a seasonal worker, and at the end of each day, he will go home to Florence, Ohio, to take care of the farm that has been in his family since 1938.
It’s the kind of work ethic that got Moon through both undergraduate and graduate school at Western Reserve University. Moon was the first in his family to attend college, and beyond the $10 his father was able to spare, he was on his own to pay for it. A church scholarship
funded his undergraduate tuition, and hours spent working in the campus library helped cover the rest.
Now, more than 75 years after Moon’s journey with the university began, he has committed $1 million from his estate for both undergraduate and graduate scholarships at Case Western Reserve University’s College of Arts and Sciences.
“I had a wonderful experience,” said Moon. “My scholarship enabled that. I couldn’t have attended without it.”
The commitment will be divided: half to establish the Ruth M. Barber and George David Moon Undergraduate Scholarship Fund and the other half designated for the Ruth M. Barber Endowment Fund. The latter was established in 1992 by Moon’s wife, Ruth M. Barber (GRS ’42, chemistry), to support graduate students at the college.
Over the years, Moon has met students who have benefited from the graduate scholarship and seen its impact.
“For most of these people, it made the difference in whether or not they pursued graduate school. And for some, it was really a life-changing opportunity,” he said. “[Ruth’s support] allowed them to advance in their careers, and I hope this gift will do the same for more students.”
Moon reflects fondly on his time at Western Reserve—hours spent retrieving books from Thwing Hall and Amasa Stone Chapel for the librarians, inspiring lectures in Adelbert Hall, and offering himself as a “guinea pig” for students at the dental school to get a filling for just $2. Though much has changed in the decades since he was a student, he still enjoys coming to campus and visiting his old haunts.
“I think about the university often and have a lot of pleasant memories of my years there,” Moon said. “I owe a great debt to the university for the education I got, so if I have the means to give, I want to do it to show my appreciation.”