Tarleton Graduate’s Estate Gift Adds $1.2 Million to COB Scholarship

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — A gift from the estate of Tarleton State University graduate and benefactor Russell Moore has added more than $1.2 million to an endowed scholarship in the College of Business.

“We are extremely grateful for generous friends and alumni like Russell Moore,” said Tarleton President James Hurley. “His extraordinary gift boosts the legacy of our accounting and finance programs and provides our students with greater opportunities for a transformative education.” 

Moore passed away June 6, 2020, at the age of 76. He named his scholarship at Tarleton State University the beneficiary of his investment accounts. The first account culminated in a gift of just over $335,000, and the second account topped $1,270,000. The endowment now exceeds $1.6 million.

“On behalf of the College of Business, especially the students in the college, I sincerely thank Mr. Moore,” said Dr. Chris Shao, Dean of Tarleton’s College of Business. “Without students, the College of Business does not exist. Without gifts from people like Mr. Russell Moore, students will not be able to pursue their dreams.” 

Moore, a Glen Rose native, earned a business degree at Tarleton in 1972 after a three-year stint in the U.S. Navy. 

He said his first memory of Tarleton came as a high school student when he won a poultry judging contest in a campus FFA event. He believed in hard work, and he valued the opportunity to come to Tarleton as a veteran and nontraditional student.

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Russell Moore

After graduation he became an auditor with the federal government and retired in 1995. In a new career he was a veterans counselor. After his second retirement he went to work in the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo accounting office.

In 2018 he established the Russell L. Moore Endowed Scholarship for full-time junior and senior accounting and finance students with financial need and a GPA of 2.5 or above.

He was inducted into Tarleton’s Scholarship Society at the President’s Gala in February 2019

“I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Moore at one of our Tarleton galas,” said Dr. Joseph Schuessler, Associate Dean of the College of Business. “He was an extraordinary individual with a passion for wanting to make a difference in the lives of young people. He referred to Tarleton as family.

“Mr. Moore’s generous gift will pave the way to help Tarleton’s College of Business students in need pursue their educational dreams. I cannot think of a more admirable legacy.”

A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of nearly 17,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. True to Tarleton’s values of excellence, integrity and respect, academic programs emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.
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