James Moore, 72, a former Chicago Board of Education district superintendent and principal at Morgan Park High School, died of cancer Friday, March 1, at Washington and Jane Smith Home in Chicago. Born and raised on the South Side, Mr. Moore graduated from Leo High School and turned his passion for reading into a career in education. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Chicago Teachers College and masters and doctoral degrees from Loyola University. He served for two years as a sergeant in the Army and instructed troops in Colorado. After his discharge in 1955, Mr. Moore taught school in Chicago and became principal of Jefferson Elementary School in 1960. By the late 1960s, he took over at Morgan Park when racial tension was high in the neighborhood. In 1972 he was named a district superintendent. As an educator, Mr. Moore believed the school system’s strength was its teachers and parents, which endeared him to both groups. “He just made you feel important,” his son Jerry said. “He could go into a building and call teachers by their names.” Mr. Moore enjoyed boating, watching classic movies and playing softball. In addition to his son, Mr. Moore is survived by a wife, Clare; two other sons, Jeff and Kevin; and seven grandchildren. Services were held.
