John "Jack" Moore
Character: Unforgettable People of Woodstock > John "Jack"Moore
“Everything Good About Woodstock”
(1921-2016)
For many years Jack Moore, who has been described as “Everything good about Woodstock,” was a daily sight on Woodstock’s streets. Walking stick in hand, he would make the rounds. One of his favorite stops was the Prince and Pauper Restaurant, where he would order one drink, but rarely finish it. For Jack, it was always about seeing and visiting with his many friends there, not the drink.
Jack was an amazing resource of what Woodstock Village was like in the early 20th century because as a child he spent much of his time here, growing up on River Street. Back then, River Street was what Jack described as “kind of a boy’s neighborhood” because of the abundance of other boys on the street including Jack’s own brother, Dean; as well as friends Alfred, Harry and Larry Ambrose; and friends Dave and Newt Farrelly. Together the boys would play and romp, search for caves or picnic on Mount Tom, and occasionally get in trouble.
Jack notes: “As kids we knew who everybody was well up the street and well down the street, and those people, no matter what their age, knew us as kids. Of course, they’d have to correct us now and then when we got a little bit out of the way and we were beyond the confines of our household and needed correction. We accepted it. There were a lot of people who lived in the neighborhood, or worked for people in town, and there were businesses. The rules weren’t quite so severe in those days.”
One rule that appeared to be disregarded with some degree of reg larity was going to church. A tribute to Jack that was printed in the Vermont Standard at the time of his passing states: “Perhaps the walking for which Moore was remembered began as a boy when, on most Sundays, instead of going to church, he and his younger brother, Dean, walked to his grandfather’s office which was located … on Elm Street.” Jack stated, “My mother gave us a nickel each to put in the collection box at church… Grampa was a bit of a tease. He used to say with a gleam in his eye, ‘I suppose you’ve already spent your nickel on ice cream at the drugstore’ – and he was right. But he never told on us. He never did.”
One rule that appeared to be disregarded with some degree of regularity was going to church. A tribute to Jack that was printed in the Vermont Standard at the time of his passing states: “Perhaps the walking for which Moore was remembered began as a boy when, on most Sundays, instead of going to church, he and his younger brother, Dean, walked to his grandfather’s office which was located … on Elm Street.” Jack stated, “My mother gave us a nickel each to put in the collection box at church… Grampa was a bit of a tease. He used to say with a gleam in his eye, ‘I suppose you’ve already spent your nickel on ice cream at the drugstore’ – and he was right. But he never told on us. He never did.”
Jack Moore (on right) and his brother, Dean, in August of 1961
Jack and Gina Moore at the Prince and Pauper Restaurant
Jack’s grandfather was William Herbert “Bert” Moore, the former editor, publisher, and owner of the Vermont Standard newspaper, which was located at 23 Elm Street.
Jack and Gina Moore
“View of Mount Tom, Woodstock - Jack Moore.” By Kit Farnsworth, this watercolor, was commissioned as a tribute by Jack’s wife, Gina, after his passing. The vantage point is rom behind the Woodstock History Center.
During Jack’s freshman year of high school, his parents separated. Jack and his brother went to school in New Hampshire and later New York. However, since Jack’s father and grandparents remained in Woodstock, Jack frequently came back to visit. After high school, Jack enlisted in the Army, before the United States entered WWII. Jack served for almost five years. For much of that time, he was in the infantry, and his travels took him to North Africa, where he and his unit were in the first wave to hit the beach for the invasion of North Africa.
Despite all of the horrors that he witnessed, Jack remained stoic, preferring not to talk much about the war. When asked if his experience in WWII had influenced the rest of his life, he responded: “I can only commune with myself on this thing.” He was not reticent, however, on what he wanted to do after returning home from the service. He stated: “The first thing I was going to do when I got back was climb Mt. Tom… [and] visit families I remember… The idea of contrast, looking for something so different from what we were experiencing at the time… You longed for something. At least I did… Mt. Tom.”
After the war, Jack went to college and ultimately earned master’s degrees in both English and Russian. His interest in languages was one of the many things that he and Gina, his wife of 67 years, had in common. In fact, the two met originally in German class. Gina went on to became a language professor and taught Spanish, Latin, French, and Italian, while Jack worked as a translator for the publishing company Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.
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