It is with sadness we have learned of the death of Marilyn Kay Moore, the mother of Victoria Van Kirk Pride, the associate director of housing operations in the Department of Housing, Dining and Student Centers and president of Staff Council. She died on Feb. 28 at the age of 75.
Moore also was the mother of Heather Summers, a 1995 graduate of DePaul and a current student in the College of Education's curriculum studies doctoral program. Moore's sister, Shirley Becker, was the former director of the university's Athletic Academic Advising. Moore was very proud of her family's Blue Demon affiliation.
Moore was born on the South Side of Chicago, near Midway Airport, in 1946, and displayed the qualities of a future teacher. She observed social injustices while growing up in Chicago and knew she needed to act. She took a special interest in minimizing educational inequality for minority children. While attending Northern Illinois University, her desire to teach in an urban setting led her to request a student teaching placement at a school on the West Side of Chicago. Moore very quickly realized how underprepared she was and vowed to do the work to prepare others for urban education.
She earned her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts - Boston. She became a mother to four girls, then a stepmother to two more children while maintaining focus and diligently completing her doctoral work to earn her Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University. Her teaching career spanned more than 35 years. She became a full-time tenure-track faculty member in curriculum and instruction at Illinois State University and worked in administration as an associate dean of the College of Education. She earned the Outstanding Teacher of the Year award at ISU and was an Oxford University Round Table scholar - twice - in Oxford, England. These journeys complemented her love of the English countryside, where she could enjoy a good cup of tea, a scone or a delicious slice of banoffee pie.
Moore's most important achievement was motherhood. Her children have deep gratitude for the support she gave. Whether it was working past midnight on her dissertation, when the house was finally quiet, or gently pushing each child to try new things and then try them again. She gave her all for her children, so they could have good lives full of meaningful connections to others. She taught her children to be adventurous, work hard and have empathy. She believed empathy is the golden ticket to moving through this world in a meaningful way.
An online celebration of her life for friends and family will take place on May 1. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Noah's Arc Foundation or Brain Support Network.