Augustus "A.B." Moore

Augustus Beamon (A.B.) Moore Jr, 83, passed away on Wednesday, June 28, 2017 at White Oak of Waxhaw Rehab Center. He was born at home on February 6, 1934 in Union County, eldest son to the late Augustus Beamon and Abbie Lee Austin Moore. He was also predeceased by an infant sister, Rebecca Lee Moore. A. B. (or Gus as he was known in Wilmington) graduated from Indian Trail High School in 1952 and began college at North Carolina State College that same year. He attended NCSC from 1952 – 1955, when he accepted a summer job with the National Park Service in Yorktown, Va., which lasted over a year. While there, A.B. personally designed all of the historic cast aluminum signs on the parkway between Yorktown and Jamestown, Va., was involved in several historic restoration projects, to include the Moore house where he supervised the restoration of a brick pathway around the house, and the discovery of the first complete pottery jug artifact dating to the 1600’s in a Jamestown well. He returned to State College from 1956 – 1957, before traveling to Kansas City, Mo., with a college friend to work for Hare Hare Landscape Architecture Firm. It was there that A.B. was drafted into the US Army. After thumbing his way back as far as Nashville, TN, he caught a bus to Charlotte, NC, where his mother picked him up. He then reported for duty and proudly served from 1957 – 1959 with the 3rd Infantry Division, 9th Field Artillery Fire Direction Center All-Army Marksmanship Unit. He distinguished himself as a master class marksman, winning the 1959 European Pistol Championship, setting several past records at the Camp Perry Ohio National Pistol matches, becoming a member of the 2600, the President’s 100 and receiving a Congressional Gold Medal for Distinguished Pistol Shooting. In 1959, A.B. worked for the State of NC, Division of Community Planning in Raleigh. The summer of 1960, he traveled the Midwest and Eastern US competing with the All-Army Reserve Pistol Team, returning to NCSC in the fall to complete his BS in Landscape Architecture from the School of Design in 1962. He continued to compete with the All-Army Reserve Pistol Team until the late 1960’s and on civilian pistol teams until 1989. In 1962 he was recruited by the Wilmington District of the US Army Corps of Engineers and during his career as Chief of Master Planning, was responsible for large scale civil works, military master planning, and was instrumental in the completion of the B. Everett Jordan Lake, Kerr Lake and Falls Lake projects, and received National USACOE Honor and Merit Design Awards. Throughout his lifetime, A.B. had many interests and was not one to sit still for long. He enjoyed beekeeping, reading, gardening, photography, sketching, painting, target shooting and historic preservation and renovation. He maintained a connection to the land and history of his ancestors in Union County, and his family was very important to him. He loved and was proud of his family, the feeling is mutual and he will be greatly missed. A.B was always honest, ethical, and hard working. He was driven, brilliant and charming. He enjoyed a love of history and historic preservation and was a founding member of a small group of individuals dedicated to the restoration and revitalization of the Wilmington Historic District at a time when it was not widely popular. He was responsible for the restoration of 16 historic properties that were previously condemned structures, and was a past member of the Residents of Old Wilmington serving as Mayor of Old Wilmington from 1983 – 1984. He was also a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Wilmington Engineers Club, Civitans International, Advisory Counsel-Boy Scouts of America-Cape Fear Counsel, NC Rifle Pistol Association, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Life member of NC Beekeeper’s Association, Life member of National Rifle Association, and Grace United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends on Friday, July 7, 2017 from 5:00 until 7:00 PM at Gordon Funeral Service, 1904 Lancaster Ave, Monroe, NC 28112. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on July 8, 2017 at Gordon Funeral Chapel. Burial will follow at Lakeland Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Waxhaw United Methodist Church, Grace United Methodist Church, Wilmington, NC, the NC Beekeeper’s Association, National Rifle Association or the charity of your choice in memory of Augustus B. Moore, Jr. Mr. Moore is survived by his wife, Angela Sloan Garrison, two daughters, Amanda Moore Ladd, husband Duke of Wilmington, Amy Moore Russo Dahl, husband David of TX, step-son, Michael Garrison, fiance Katie of Waxhaw, brother, Dennis Austin Moore, wife Debra of Indian Trail, sister, Abbie Eileen Moore Pitt, husband Steve of Indian Trial, uncle, Ernest L. Moore, and two grandchildren, Margaret Russo and Melissa Russo of TX. Gordon Funeral Service Crematory is caring for the Moore family. Online condolences may be made to www.gordonfuneralservice.com