Maurice Moyer facts for kids

Maurice J. Moyer (born August 8, 1918 – died March 6, 2012) was an important African-American Christian minister. He was also a strong supporter of civil rights in Delaware. He even marched with Martin Luther King Jr., a famous leader for equality. In 1955, he started the very first black Presbyterian church in Delaware.

A Life of Service

Maurice Moyer was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. When he was four, his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Later, they returned to Chattanooga, where he finished high school at Howard High School. He served in the United States Navy from 1938 to 1945.

After his time in the Navy, he went to college at Lincoln University (Pennsylvania). He also studied to become a minister at Lincoln Theological Seminary and Princeton Theological Seminary. In 1947, he joined a fraternity called Alpha Phi Alpha.

Founding a Church

In 1955, Moyer started the Community Presbyterian Church in New Castle, Delaware. This was a big deal because it was the first black Presbyterian church in Delaware. He was the pastor there for 46 years, until he retired in 1998. From 1963 to 1964, he became the first black leader of the New Castle Presbytery, which is a group of Presbyterian churches.

Fighting for Rights

Moyer worked hard to fight unfair laws. He helped change the Delaware Innkeepers Law, which allowed hotels and restaurants to refuse service to people. This law was removed in 1963. He also played a key role in getting the first African-American person hired by Diamond State Telephone, which is now Verizon Delaware.

Maurice Moyer passed away on March 6, 2012, at the Christiana Hospital. After he died, Governor Jack Markell ordered flags in Wilmington and New Castle County to be lowered to honor him.

Community Involvement

Maurice Moyer was involved in many important groups that helped his community:

• He was the president of the Wilmington branch of the NAACP from 1960 to 1964. The NAACP is a group that works for equal rights for all people.
• He started the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, another group that helps people in cities.
• He worked with the Wilmington Board of Education as a Program Coordinator for the Neighborhood Youth Corps from 1965 to 1966.
• From 1966 to 1967, he was a Project Director for Community Schools in New Castle County, Delaware.
• He worked as a Career Coordinator at Bancroft Middle School from 1967 to 1970.
• From 1970 to 1972, he was an Administrator at the Layton Home for Aged Persons.

Awards and Recognition

• In 1962, he received the Citizen's Award from the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

His Family Life

Maurice Moyer married Vivian Cleopatra on October 13, 1944. They had two sons: Thomas Jerome, born in 1947, and Norman Gayraud, born in 1950.

Places Named After Him

• The Maurice J. Moyer Academy in Wilmington, Delaware is a professional training school named in his honor.