Robert Thomas Moore
Encyclopedia
Robert Thomas Moore (June 24, 1882 – October 30, 1958) was an American businessman, an independent ornithologist, a philanthropist, and the founder and for some years the editor-in-chief
of the Borestone Mountain Poetry Awards
. In his obituary, Lionel Stevenson wrote, "Robert Thomas Moore was an exceptional amalgam of the poet, the scientist, and the man of affairs."
Moore was the son of Henry D. Moore, a wealthy Philadelphia businessman. Moore earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania
in 1904 and an M. A. from Harvard University
in 1905 in English literature
. Moore's father was from Maine
, and owned a family vacation camp at Big Benson. Moore purchased land on Borestone Mountain in Maine and began the Borestone Mountain Fox Company. The Company ran several fur farms
that raised fox
es for their pelts, which were used for fur garment
s. In 1921 the Borestone Mountain farm was referred to as "the leading ranch in North America". In the 1920s Moore opened the Borestone Mountain Ranch, which was a fur farm near Big Bear Lake
in southern California
.
In addition to his business activities, Moore was an active ornithologist who published about 60 scientific papers
. From 1911–1916 Moore edited Cassinia
, which is the journal of the Delaware Valley
Ornithological Club. Moore moved to California around 1929, and became an associate of the Department of Zoology at the California Institute of Technology
. In 1933 he hired Chester C. Lamb to help build his collection of birds
; Lamb worked with Moore on the project for 22 years. Herbert Friedmann has written that Moore's "great achievement was his forming of the Moore collection, containing about 65,000 birds, over 80 percent of which are from Mexico, and 1,000 mammals, now housed in a building given by him to Occidental College
in Los Angeles, with an endowment for its maintenance and for furthering studies on American birds, particularly those of Mexico and adjacent areas." The Moore Laboratory of Zoology at Occidental College is still in operation half a century following Moore's death; the present director is Dr. John C. Hafner. Friedmann also particularly notes Moore's discovery of two new bird species and a genus; Moore is presently credited at the Integrated Taxonomic Information System
with the discoveries of four bird species (the tufted jay
, the masked mountain-tanager
, the maroon-fronted parrot
, and the balsas screech-owl
) and thirty subspecies.
From 1934–1938, Moore chaired the Galápagos Commission of Ecuador, which has worked to conserve the natural history of the Galápagos Islands
. In 1940, he was elected a Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union
.
In 1946, Moore established the Borestone Mountain Poetry Awards
. In 1949, he published an anthology of poems selected from those published in 1948 by English-language magazines around the world; the authors of several of these poems were awarded cash prizes by a panel of noted poets working as volunteer judges. The prizes and publication of the anthology were continued annually through 1977, well past Moore's death in 1958. Moore had established a charitable foundation
to underwrite the expenses of administering the prizes and publishing the anthology.
Upon his death, Moore bequeathed the land he owned on Borestone Mountain
to the Audubon Society; the Audubon holdings were later enlarged by additional gifts from Moore's son and daughter and from others to its present size of 1639 acres (663.3 ha). In 2000, ownership of the sanctuary was transferred to the Maine Audubon Society; the sanctuary is open to hikers, and incorporates the Robert Thomas Moore Nature Center.
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of the Borestone Mountain Poetry Awards
Borestone Mountain Poetry Awards
The Borestone Mountain Poetry Awards was an annual series of poetry anthologies first published in 1949. The poems were selected from those published in a given year in English-language magazines and books; in each volume, individual poems were designated as first, second, or third place in a...
. In his obituary, Lionel Stevenson wrote, "Robert Thomas Moore was an exceptional amalgam of the poet, the scientist, and the man of affairs."
Moore was the son of Henry D. Moore, a wealthy Philadelphia businessman. Moore earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1904 and an M. A. from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1905 in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
. Moore's father was from Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, and owned a family vacation camp at Big Benson. Moore purchased land on Borestone Mountain in Maine and began the Borestone Mountain Fox Company. The Company ran several fur farms
Fur farming
Fur farming is the practice of breeding or raising certain types of animals for their fur.Fur used from wild caught animals is not farmed, and is instead known as 'free range fur' because the animals have lived their lives free and natural in the wild....
that raised fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es for their pelts, which were used for fur garment
Fur clothing
Fur clothing is clothing made of the fur of animals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing; thought to have been widely used as hominids first expanded outside of Africa. Some view fur as luxurious and warm; others reject it due to moral beliefs...
s. In 1921 the Borestone Mountain farm was referred to as "the leading ranch in North America". In the 1920s Moore opened the Borestone Mountain Ranch, which was a fur farm near Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. At a surface elevation of , it has an east-west length of approximately 7 miles and is approximately 2.5 miles at its widest measurement, though the lake's width mostly averages a...
in southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
.
In addition to his business activities, Moore was an active ornithologist who published about 60 scientific papers
Academic publishing
Academic publishing describes the subfield of publishing which distributes academic research and scholarship. Most academic work is published in journal article, book or thesis form. The part of academic written output that is not formally published but merely printed up or posted is often called...
. From 1911–1916 Moore edited Cassinia
Cassinia (journal)
Cassinia is the journal of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. Published periodically since 1901, the journal is composed of papers relating to the ornithology of eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Cassinia is named in honor of John Cassin....
, which is the journal of the Delaware Valley
Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township...
Ornithological Club. Moore moved to California around 1929, and became an associate of the Department of Zoology at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. In 1933 he hired Chester C. Lamb to help build his collection of birds
Bird collections
Bird collections are curated repositories of scientific specimens consisting of birds and their parts. They are a research resource for ornithology, the science of birds, and for other scientific disciplines in which information about birds is useful...
; Lamb worked with Moore on the project for 22 years. Herbert Friedmann has written that Moore's "great achievement was his forming of the Moore collection, containing about 65,000 birds, over 80 percent of which are from Mexico, and 1,000 mammals, now housed in a building given by him to Occidental College
Occidental College
Occidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
in Los Angeles, with an endowment for its maintenance and for furthering studies on American birds, particularly those of Mexico and adjacent areas." The Moore Laboratory of Zoology at Occidental College is still in operation half a century following Moore's death; the present director is Dr. John C. Hafner. Friedmann also particularly notes Moore's discovery of two new bird species and a genus; Moore is presently credited at the Integrated Taxonomic Information System
Integrated Taxonomic Information System
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ITIS was originally formed in 1996 as an interagency group within the U.S...
with the discoveries of four bird species (the tufted jay
Tufted Jay
The Tufted Jay is a species of bird in the Corvidae family. It is endemic to a small area of the Sierra Madre Occidental of Sinaloa and Durango in Mexico....
, the masked mountain-tanager
Masked Mountain-tanager
The Masked Mountain-tanager is a vulnerable species of bird in the tanager family. This large and colourful tanager is endemic to elfin forest, woodland and shrub in the Andean highlands of southern Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru. It is generally rare or uncommon, and is threatened by...
, the maroon-fronted parrot
Maroon-fronted Parrot
The Maroon-fronted Parrot is a large, macaw-like parrot. It is dark green with a dark red shoulder and a maroon forehead and eye-stripe. Its underside of the wings and tail appear to be black when it is in flight. It makes a high, rolling cr-a ak sound...
, and the balsas screech-owl
Balsas Screech-owl
The Balsas Screech Owl is a species of owl in the Strigidae family.It is endemic to Mexico.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and heavily degraded former forest.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
) and thirty subspecies.
From 1934–1938, Moore chaired the Galápagos Commission of Ecuador, which has worked to conserve the natural history of the Galápagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
. In 1940, he was elected a Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union
American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
.
In 1946, Moore established the Borestone Mountain Poetry Awards
Borestone Mountain Poetry Awards
The Borestone Mountain Poetry Awards was an annual series of poetry anthologies first published in 1949. The poems were selected from those published in a given year in English-language magazines and books; in each volume, individual poems were designated as first, second, or third place in a...
. In 1949, he published an anthology of poems selected from those published in 1948 by English-language magazines around the world; the authors of several of these poems were awarded cash prizes by a panel of noted poets working as volunteer judges. The prizes and publication of the anthology were continued annually through 1977, well past Moore's death in 1958. Moore had established a charitable foundation
Foundation (charity)
A foundation is a legal categorization of nonprofit organizations that will typically either donate funds and support to other organizations, or provide the source of funding for its own charitable purposes....
to underwrite the expenses of administering the prizes and publishing the anthology.
Upon his death, Moore bequeathed the land he owned on Borestone Mountain
Borestone Mountain
Borestone Mountain is a mountain in Piscataquis County, Maine. It is a popular hiking spot near the center of the state, with a trailhead located on Mountain Road near Willimantic. The mountain is part of the Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary....
to the Audubon Society; the Audubon holdings were later enlarged by additional gifts from Moore's son and daughter and from others to its present size of 1639 acres (663.3 ha). In 2000, ownership of the sanctuary was transferred to the Maine Audubon Society; the sanctuary is open to hikers, and incorporates the Robert Thomas Moore Nature Center.