Obituary of George Everett Mooers

George Everett Mooers, long-time Santa Cruz resident and well-known high school teacher and coach, passed away on July 24 following a short illness. He was 94. George was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 13, 1919 and raised in Methuen, Massachusetts, where his family had lived since 1799. He took pride in his rich American heritage, tracing back to his ancestors' arrival in Salem, Massachusetts in the early 1640s. Educated in local schools, George excelled as an athlete and was an All-Northeast AAU track and field champion. After graduating from high school in 1937, George worked in the family contracting business before enlisting in the US Army Air Force Air Cadet program in 1944. Following the Second World War, Mooers served his country in the USAAF in Germany, where he was a member of the USAAF Track and Field Team, specializing in the 440 and 880-yard races and the 440-yard relay. One of his cherished memories was competing in the six-mile Britannia Shield competition against all Allied competitors, finishing 37th out of 300. First place went to the famous Czech long-distance runner Emile Zatopek, who would go on to win the gold medal in that distance in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics. George received both his bachelors and masters degrees from Stanford University, graduating in 1952. While at Stanford, he captained the JV track and field team and was a member of the Ski Club and the Delta Chi fraternity. He earned his varsity letter in track and was both teammates and friends with track and field legends Bob Mathias and Otis Chandler. George supported Stanford throughout his life as a member of the Block 'S' Society, the Buck/Cardinal Club, as a lifetime member of the Stanford Alumni Association, and as an enthusiastic supporter of Cardinal football. He was proud to see both his son-in-law, Greg, and his grandson, Paul, carry on the Stanford tradition. Mooers began his teaching career at Marysville High School in 1953. He subsequently taught in Santa Cruz, where he was introduced to his wife Shirley by a fellow teacher. They were married in 1957 by Father Alexander Anderson at Calvary Episcopal Church. George taught at both Santa Cruz High School and Soquel High School until he retired in 1982. In addition to teaching, George coached numerous sports including lightweight football, track and field, cross-country, and wrestling. He also refereed at the historic 1962 United States-Soviet Union track meet, in which the two countries momentarily set aside Cold War tensions to compete in the largest ever two-day non-Olympic track event, held at Stanford Stadium. Following his retirement, George began a second career at McGraw/Hill in Monterey, where he continued to utilize his passion for education. He was an active member of Calvary Episcopal Church, Santa Cruz, where he served on the Vestry, Choir, and the Rector Search committees. He also belonged to the Veterans of the Foreign Wars, Phi Delta Kappa, the Sierra Club, and the Stanford Club of the Monterey Bay Area. Mooers was predeceased by his parents, a brother, three sisters, and a niece and two nephews. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Shirley Erlandson Mooers, of the home; daughter and son-in-law Regina Mooers Ockelmann and Greg Ockelmann of Dallas, Texas; son and daughterin- law Michael Mooers and Becky Maguire Mooers of San Jose; and two grandsons, Paul Ockelmann of Los Angeles and Erik Mooers of San Jose, as well as five nieces, five nephews, and several great-nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held on Friday August 2, 2013 1:00 PM at Calvary Episcopal Church, Santa Cruz, with a reception to follow in the Parish Hall. If memorials are desired, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in George's memory to either The Buck/Cardinal Club, Stanford University, Development Services, P.O. Box 20466 Stanford, CA 94309-0466 or to the Calvary Episcopal Church Choral Scholars Fund, c/o Murray Walker, 532 Center Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060.