Robert Moore, 85, artist, art teacher

THE AFRICAN Episcopal Church of St. Thomas has much of its long history as the first black church in Philadelphia memorialized by the artistry of Robert C. Moore.

He designed the stained-glass window honoring Absalom Jones, the slave-born founder of the 215-year-old West Philadelphia church, and painted five large murals in the church's Great Hall depicting the institution's rich cultural heritage.

Robert Moore, an artist who won many awards and exhibited widely, an art teacher here and in Delaware, and a decorated Army veteran of World War II, died Dec. 26. He was 85 and lived in Yeadon.

He was born in Philadelphia, the oldest of five children of Charles Moore and Marguerite Trulear. He graduated from Overbrook High School in 1939.

During World War II, he served with the 370th Infantry Regiment of the famed 92nd "Buffalo" Infantry Division, the all-black unit that fought in the Italian campaign.

After the war, Robert received a bachelors of fine arts in education from the former Philadelphia College of Art in 1950 and began teaching at Howard Junior/Senior High School in Wilmington. That year, he married Gloria Diane Harris.

Robert taught in Wilmington until 1974, when he became a supervisor for the district's art programs.

He organized exhibits of student work and other projects to give the young people outlets for their talents.

At the same time, he taught at the West Philadelphia Adult Evening School, West Philadelphia Center of the Arts; Moore College of Art, Bucknell University and the University of Delaware.

He received a masters in fine arts from Temple University in 1958, and did postgraduate work at the University of Chicago.

After retiring from the Wilmington School District in 1983, he studied graphic design at the Art Institute of Philadelphia and worked as a freelance graphic designer.

His wife said her husband's "accomplishments only paint a partial picture of a man who, in his quiet way, influenced the lives of many."

He also is survived by a daughter, Dyane Boyd; three sisters, Vera Walker, Miriam Stokes and Marguerite Ballantine, and two granddaughters.

Services: Memorial service 11 a.m. tomorrow at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, 6361 Lancaster Ave.