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55 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, April 14, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 17, 2004 Retiring Medford Councilman Bill Moore explains his Irish mementos, including an Irish flag, his family�s coat of arms and a shillelagh, an Irish blackthorn walking stick that can be used as a shepherd�s crook by day and pub-crawler�s bludgeon by night. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell ‘There’s an old Irish saying ...’ Veteran Medford City Councilman and proud Irishman Bill Moore has begun many a comment with those very words By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Bill Moore says today, Saint Patrick’s Day, is his favorite day of the year and the other 364 days are just downhill from that. One of Medford’s most civic-minded residents, the devoutly Irish Catholic councilman said he’s planning to announce his resignation from the City Council Thursday, an act that won’t leave a dry eye in the place, according to colleagues. Moore said he and his wife, Marjorie, who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this month, are both in declining health. The couple will move next week into a retirement home in Ward 1, meaning he can no longer serve as a councilman of Ward 4, he said. The 78-year-old, white-haired gentleman is known for breaking the tension of meetings or interrupting bickering by beginning with: "There’s an old Irish saying ..." followed by one of many expressions, such as: "Unless you’re really, really smart, always be polite." Medford attorney Bernie Moore (no relation) has a simple explanation for why his friend is such a character. Advertisement "He’s an Irish bricklayer," he said. "He has more stories than Grimm’s Fairy Tales." Bernie Moore, who said he knows Bill Moore quite well, having survived a plane crash together in 2001 as well as several fishing trips, describes him as a gracious gentleman, even if he has a flaw. "He’s always got bad jokes," he said. Born in 1925, Moore spent his first 17 months in Ireland before moving to New York. He returned to Ireland at age 9, and ended up staying four years after developing spinal meningitis, he said. Moore is a World War II Marine Corps veteran who received a Silver Star and a Purple Heart for service on Okinawa. He declined to talk about how he earned the awards. "Medals are for the people who give them," he said. "The real heroes are still over there." Moore was sent to Klamath Falls after he was injured on Okinawa. It was there that he became a bricklayer and was working on a church when he first saw Marjorie. "Those dimples got me," he said. "As soon as she came to the window and smiled at me, that was it," he said, adding, "That was the best thing that ever happened to me." He said friends who know him have said Marjorie must be a saint. "God love her, she was a good Presbyterian and now she’s a Catholic, poor kid," he said. The couple have four grown children. He said the things he thought would defeat him in life turned out to be the things that helped him. Moore is a founding director and retired substance abuse counselor with OnTrack, as well as founder of the Jackson County sobering unit — the place where police take drunks to keep them off the streets. "I’m one of the few guys I know who drank himself into a job," said the recovering alcoholic. He was also a drug and alcohol abuse counselor at the Department of Veterans Affairs’ former domiciliary in White City. "I’ve been chasing drunks for about 30 or 40 years," he said. Moore, who has served on the council since 1992, said he’d like to see beer and wine taxes pay to keep the sobering unit operating. It’s scheduled to close in April because of county budget cuts. City Councilman Bob Strosser said he agrees with Moore that the sobering unit is critical to the community. Strosser said his fellow Ward 4 representative has been a mentor. "Bill’s lived a lot of life and there’s a tremendous amount of wisdom in the things he’s done and seen," said Strosser. He describes Moore as generous, dedicated and strongly committed to community members. "Bill has faced a lot of challenges head-on, and I don’t know that the man’s ever flinched," he said. And Moore’s wit has kept many a council meeting moving forward, he said. "I will miss having him there, more than I can ever say," said Strosser. Friend and fellow fisherman Bill Purdy, a Jackson County Circuit Court judge, said he’d like to see more people in public office with Moore’s attitude. "He likes to build consensus," said Purdy. "He might not agree but he wouldn’t be disagreeable." He said he’s also great to take along on a fishing trip because he pitches in and does more than his share. He isn’t one to get out of chores like dishwashing, as some do. "He’s the type that just loved to go on the (annual fishing) trip and everybody loved to have him," Purdy said. Moore said the greatest honor is to serve one’s community. "I think we all search for noble work," he said. And he said he has no regrets. "I’ve had a good life," he said. Moore said he learned the art of keeping his sense of humor in the line of fire from his father, whose Irish brogue would get thicker the larger the audience. "He used to say, ‘The Lord save us and protect us from all wild women, gambling devices and gasoline-powered motor cars.’ And if someone was a womanizer he’d say, ‘It was the swish of unholy skirts that got his attention.’ " Reach reporter Meg Landersat 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! 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