Published: May 03, 2008 02:48 pm            

Newlyn Moore recognized as ‘Woman of the Year’

Beta Sigma Phi

San Marcos — Newlyn Moore was recently recognized as “Woman of the Year” by the local Beta Sigma Phi Chapter.

Moore has been a member of the Heritage Association since 1978 and has recently served that organization by being on its board of directors. She was a founder of the Texas Association for the Performing Arts where she served as both president and vice president; she has been a member of the Hays County Committee for Establishment of a Child Welfare Board; a member of the San Marcos Public Library Association; a founder and charter member of the San Marcos Association of Education for Young Children and a founder, chair and board member of the Christian Performing Arts Center for Young People.

Moore has also been chair of the Hays County Governor's Committee on Aging.

She was born in Smackover, Ark. and arrived in Texas at the age of four. She graduated from Southwest Texas State College, now Texas State University, in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Vocational Home Economics and a minor in Science. She graduated in 1966 from what was then Southwest Texas with a Masters of Education and a Minor in Home Economics with Counseling and Guidance Certification.

In 1973, Moore graduated from the University of Texas with a PhD in Education Curriculum and Instruction and a minor in Home Economics. She received post-doctoral training in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Texas from 1979-1981. All of her graduate schooling occurred in addition to her being a wife and mother of two.

She continued to make a difference in the lives of children and families by teaching at Texas State University for 37 years where her areas of expertise included child development and marriage and family courses. Before her retirement in 2000 she co-authored a Marriage and Family textbook and a Sexuality Anthology which is currently in its third edition.

She has also published many articles and received numerous professional honors. One of her most rewarding roles was serving as national president of Phi Upsilon Omicron, the Home Economics Honor Society. She also served as president of the Texas Council on Family Relations and on the board of the National Council on Family Relations.

In response to her prolific career, Texas State University chose her as one of its Distinguished Alumni in 2005. With this honor, she and her husband became the first couple from Texas State to have each been recognized as Distinguished Alumni.

When she first arrived at what is now Texas State, she met her future husband in her physical education class. He was one of two instructors assigned to teach the course. He offered to shoulder the burden of splitting the class into two groups so teaching would be more manageable.

As he called each student's name and had them identify themselves, he would assign them to either his class or the other class.

The Woman of the Year Award was set up by the international office of Beta Sigma Phi in the late 1970s.

        

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