WVU's First
By Becky Lofstead
West
Virginia University senior computer science major Nathan Horne
had reason to be proud this Homecoming.
His grandmother, Mary Lou Bullard Moore—WVU's first Homecoming Queen—was selected 2004 parade marshal and led dozens of floats, bands, and other units down High Street. She was also honored at halftime of the WVU—Temple Homecoming game.
Now 84 and widowed, Moore resides in Charleston, where she devotes much of her time to her church and volunteer activities. "WVU recently got reacquainted with Mrs. Moore when Charleston Gazette columnist Sandy Wells featured her in a wonderful story about being the University's first Homecoming queen," said Steve Douglas, president and CEO of the WVU Alumni Association. "As our first queen, we believe Mrs. Moore represents one of the many great traditions at WVU. She has been a loyal alumna and supporter of WVU, and we were so excited to welcome her back to campus as parade marshal."
Moore not only served as WVU's Homecoming Queen in 1939, but also as All-American College Queen, a competition sponsored by Paramount Pictures and Radio Guide magazine the following year.
The Wheeling native was a 20-year-old blonde, dimpled sophomore at the time. As the story goes, her college friend and Beta Theta Pi fraternity member Bill Miller-then editor of a WVU humor magazine, Moonshine—submitted her name for the nationwide competition.
Without telling her, Miller mailed a picture of Moore from homecoming cradling a bouquet of long-stemmed mums to the contest judges, then set out to make her a winner by buying up the magazine, clipping the voting coupon, and handing it out to her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters and friends to send in.
Moore was chosen—from a field of 467—as one of the 17 finalists and was flown to Chicago, where the field was narrowed to 15. Then it was on to Galesburg, Illinois, for the film premiere of Those Were the Days, where she won the glamorous All-American College Queen crown.
The honor earned her and her mother a trip to Hollywood, where she had a series of meet and greets and photo shoots with such stars as Robert Preston, Preston Foster, Jackie Cooper, and Dorothy Lamour. She also appeared in Mademoiselle magazine, some catalogs and movie magazines, and in national newspapers.
She
turned down a Hollywood screen test, however, because she didn't
think she could act.
"That trip was a dream," Bullard Moore said. "Hollywood was exciting, but I quickly realized I didn't want to stay there," she said.
After her Hollywood experience and the completion of her degree in 1942, Bullard Moore worked at RCA in Indianapolis until her marriage in 1943 to engineer Wendell Moore of Clarksburg. He was also a WVU grad (Class of 1940) and her college sweetheart. The partnership lasted 58 years until his death two years ago.
After career stops in Wichita, Kansas, and Denver, Colorado, the couple returned to Charleston in 1974. "I'm happy for her," said grandson Nathan. But he never knew of her beauty queen days until a couple of years ago, he claims.
"I was very honored that the University asked me to do this, and I had so much fun coming back after such a long time away," said Moore. "It had been quite a few years since I'd been to a football game, and there were so many changes to the campus. Some of the happiest days I've ever known were spent at WVU."
Asked about the WVU homecoming competition, Moore said she remembers the thrill of riding down High Street on the back of a convertible and being crowned at halftime of the game in the old stadium.
Accompanying Moore to Morgantown for this year's Homecoming activities was daughter Mary Wendell "Wendy" Horne of Charleston.
While her children did not attend WVU, Moore's late father, Arch H. Bullard, and brother, Arch Jr., were also WVU graduates.
