To the members of the Middlebury Football Community:
Jay Moore, Middlebury '79 passed away recently. He was a teammate of some, a friend to others and will be missed by all.
Use the "click here" function above to view Jay's Middlebury College Football Profile.
Below is the eulogy written and delivered by his brother Bill:
Jay Scott Moore and I first became real brothers in 1958 - he was 1 at the time - and we were partners dropping toys - some say trucks - onto unsuspecting visitors form the balcony of our Harrison St apartment.
It was thrilling!
Jay had a presence.
A magnetism.
I felt good being around him.
We all did. His family, friends from high school, the Middlebury community, people he worked with, and communioners.
That is why we are drawn here - to celebrate Jay’s gifts - and maybe rekindle for a moment that worry-free ‘pursuit of happiness’ quality that Jay personified.
The day after Jay passed away my Dad told me that the Coroner had discovered that Jay had an unusually large heart.
What does one say to that?
Really? Oh my!?
My wife, Brenda had observed that though Jay was a physically impressive and handsome individual - her sister quickly confirmed this - that the core of the man was his enormous and generous heart - ignoring only for a moment his daunting intellect, courageous and forgiving soul, and keen wit.
It would be easy to rationalize that his many athletic endeavors contributed to the physical size of his art. After all, his workout regimens were fierce. For example, in the summer f 1978, whikle preparing for his final scholarship year of football at Middlebury, I witnessed Jay get up to to lift weights every morning, run sprints in the afternoon, and go for stamina-building runs of 12 to 15 miles four nights a week - often by this church and through nearby Lincoln Woods. He did this to enhance his speed and to prepare for a season where he could catch the ball more frequently.
And he did, setting a then single-season record for receptions at Middlebury But individual achievement was not the goal - team victories that he could share with his friends and teammates Ted, Skip, Tim, Dave, Matt and the rest were what mattered and the memories that he cherished.
Still, there was more to Jay’s heart than the cause and effect of athletic challenges. He could have gotten by on his tremendous God-given ability. But that did not satisfy Jay. He had to do everything in his power to elevate himself spiritually and physically. He was relentless in his pursuit of improving his ‘wholeness’ It is impossible to separate Jay’s athletic prowess or kindness or joy of living in isolation. He was inherently and inextricably a combination of all of those attributes.
Sure, time and again throughout high school and college Jay demonstrated that he could catch a football, dunk a basketball, hit a home run - but that wasn’t enough. He needed to prove to people that he could - - dance - and act.
And so he did.
He demonstrated publicly his prodigious rhythmic ability as a member of the Middlebury Jazz Dance Troupe and satisfied his thespian urges locally on stage at The Looking Glass Theater.
And when he embarked on a career in advertising he occasionally found reason - probably budgetary - to get in front of the camera. And we delighted in watching him in those commercials.
Jay loved the creative aspects of advertising, and the people he worked with, but didn’t completely warm to the concepts of deadlines, pressures, an everyday workplace, or working for others, in general. He knew that he needed to listen always to his own Siren’s song. He could only work n his own terms.
And so he did.
Jay worked as a free-lance writer, a music producer, a realtor - all careers where he could decide when - and how much effort - should be applied to the activity of making money. Money was not then end game. Money was another tool that preserved his independence.
Oh - and to be fair - he could be moody. And stubborn. Ironically, he despised being the center of attention. On holidays, particularly Christmas and his birthday, he was known for nt opening or accepting gifts. It was as though his metaphysical make-up could not accept the ignobility of receiving gifts in the absence of an honorable action on his part that would have merited such an acknowledgment.
But when it came to giving - to family, to friends, strangers, and pets - Jay’s allegiance and love was unwavering.
He greeted friends with a big hug or kiss - female friends did not get off so lightly. His public displays of affection were sincere and genuine.
His love of dogs was appreciable, noteworthy, and quirky. His affection seemed proportional to the ‘downtrodeness’ of the critter. It was the disenfranchised animal - those likely to go homeless or to the pound - that were his secial fondness. He treated them with abundant kindness, warmth, and respect. They were his companions, and he sublimely thrilled at their apparent stay of execution and exalted in their freedom.
Jay reveled openly in the accomplishments of friends and family. He celebrated the milestones of their lives. He loved and rooted for his brothers and sisters, and took the passing of Todd and Cheryl particularly hard.
He loved his aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, niece, grandparents, and Donna - with whom he shared and especially long and rich relationship.
Jay lived the 5th Commandment. He deeply loved our Father and enjoyed immensely sharing his life - victories, trials, and tribulations - with our Dad.
Mom, of course, was the apple of Jay’s eye and the object of his greatest affection. He took special delight making her happy and proud.
My brother was a generous, honorable, and passionate human being. He was independent and individualistic, moved by his own motivations.
Jay’s physical life was far too short. He was one of the brightest stars in my human constellation and his intense and loving light will continue to illuminate. We will continue to experience his radiance and warmth.
Dear Brother, thank you for sharing your gift - your life - with those you met. We will miss you and we will love you always.
In the comfort of God, may you find peace.
Donnie McKillop National QB of the Week
Click Here to Read the Story!
Steve Hauschka Signs NFL Contract
Click Here
PANTHERS BEAT TUFTS, WIN NESCAC TITLE !!! - Click here