Dr. Moore was born September 17, 1917 in Berkeley, California. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1939 and received his M.D. degree from the University of California Medical School, San Francisco in 1942. He completed his internship at that institution in 1943. He went immediately into the U.S. Army Medical Corps and served in the European Theater with great distinction and bravery. He rose to the rank of Major before his discharge in 1946 and was decorated with the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.
Following his military service, he returned to the University of California, San Francisco for his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology, which he completed in 1949. He then served on the faculty at the University of Iowa for one year but was rapidly recruited to the then new medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1951. He rose rapidly through the academic ranks, being promoted to Professor in 1963 and became Professor, Emeritus in 1988. He was recruited to Columbia University in 1965 where he served as Professor and Chairman until 1968. He then served as Professor and Chairman at UCLA until his retirement.
He had a very distinguished academic career and his exceptional abilities were recognized by his election to important positions in the major organizations in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the United States. He was the President of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the organization which certifies physicians in that specialty, from 1974 to 1978 and Chairman of the Board of that organization from 1978 to 1983. He was a renowned teacher with a remarkable memory for scientific facts. He delivered his lectures with exceptional clarity and was the President of the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1973. He was one of the first investigators to recognize the utility of growing cancer cells in culture in order to be able to study the effects of various drugs on that growth. He was the President of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation in 1966.
He was a remarkably dedicated physician who was greatly respected by all of his colleagues. His devotion to providing excellent care to each of his patients was widely recognized and, therefore, his services were repeatedly requested. His patients were well aware of his devotion to the pursuit of excellence and were all very expansive in expressing their appreciation of his warmth and insistence upon attention to every detail.
His personal characteristics were such that he was broadly respected and admired by generations of medical students, residents, colleagues, and faculty members. His enthusiasm and industry were legendary. One of his most prominent traits was his vigorous and remarkable sense of loyalty. This was widely recognized by all of his associates but nowhere was it more apparent than in his feelings for his family. He was very proud of each one of them, particularly his wife of 57 years, Mary Louise. He is survived by Mary Louise and his children: Barbara, Terence, and Bruce, as well as his grandchildren: Rory, Megan, and Maryann.
The family has asked that remembrances be made to the J.G. Moore Memorial Research Fund at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
MOORE
Motto: "Conlan abu". Translation: "Victory to our cause"
MOORE is the English surname used to designate the ancient Gaelic family name O'Mordha, which means "the descendant of the majestic one".
MOORE is also a common name in England. Down through the years several Englishmen of the name settled in Ireland and many families of the name trace their descent to these Anglo-Norman ancestors. The Gaelic name of the Norman MOORES was De Mora.
The Celtic clan, however, was one of the most illustrious of the ancient families of Ireland. Genealogists trace their lineage back to Laoiseach, grandson of the storied warrior of the Red Branch Knights, Canall Cearnach, who flourished in the first century. As a reward for his valor, the King of Leinster bestowed upon Laoiseach the territory which stills bears his name as County Laoighis or Leix.
The MOORE (O'Mordha) chieftains were styled princes of Leix. Their chief fortress was Dunamase near modern Portloighse, and their ancestral lands comprised the present baronies of Maryborough, Cullinagh, Ballyadams and Stradbally. At one time their sway extended over Athy and large estates in County Kildare, too.
The warrior blood of Canall Cearnoch seems to have manifested itself in practically every generation of the MOORES, and this despite the fact that few Irish families suffered more for their principles at the hands of the English. Among the more famous O'Moore chieftains were Rory O'More who died in 1557 A.D., his son Rory Og O'More, Owney O'More, all illustrious leaders in the Irish Cause against the English Crown from Henry VIII to Elizabeth. A latter Rory O'Moore was prominent in the rebellion of 1641 and one of the Owen Roe O'Neill's most valiant and trusted allies.
But it was not alone as soldiers that the MOORES have left their mark on Irish history. Irish literature and song owes an unforgettable debt to the poet, Thomas Moore (1779-1852). The MOORES of Moore Hall gave Ireland great political leaders in George Henry Moore (1810-1870) and his son Colonel Maurice Moore, while another son George Moore (1852-1933) was a famous modern novelist.
