Martinsburg's Frank Moore a Candidate For Penn State Hall of Fame

When Penn State-Altoona announced last year that it was establishing a new sports Hall of Fame, it piqued my interest. I became inspired to nominate Frank Moore of Martinsburg as a founding member of the Hall when it was specified that the nominees could extend back to the 1930s, when the Ivyside campus was called the Altoona Undergraduate Center (AUC).

Frank Logan "Junie" Moore was my basketball and baseball coach at Morrison Cove High School in 1951-52. He came to the school with a reputation as a highly acclaimed athlete at Altoona High School (class of 1944), Army occupation service in Europe, AUC and Penn State (class of 1951).

Funeral director John Bolger of Martinsburg was a classmate of Moore's at Altoona High. "Frank was the best player and the guiding force on our basketball teams," he told me. "Biff Hoffman was the coach, but the players took their cues from Frank, who had a better understanding of the game."

After being drafted into the army and playing service ball in Europe, Moore returned to civilian life and was a student-athlete at the Altoona Undergraduate Center during two basketball seasons, 1947-48 and 1948-49.

He was a starter both seasons and was the floor leader during AUC's 1948-49 season when they won the championship of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), which included all the State Teachers Colleges.

He transferred to the Penn State main campus at State College for his junior and senior seasons, 1949-50 and 1950-51. There he became a starter for both seasons. He was named Captain of the 1950-51 team, maybe the only athlete from AUC/PSU-Altoona who has been accorded that singular honor.

"The best athlete I ever played against was Dick Groat of Duke University," Frank remembered. Groat was an All-American in both basketball and baseball, and was later a World Series shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

One PSU teammate described Moore as "rugged, tenacious, quick and an inspirational leader as team captain."

His first teaching and coaching job after graduation from Penn State in 1951 was at Morrison Cove High School. He inherited a basketball team that had never contended for a Juniata Valley Basketball League title. But, in his first year, he guided his team to a league championship game and athletic relevance among area schools.

His distinguished teaching and counseling career in the Spring Cove School District (1951-2001) culminated with him being named a 2018 honoree for "Leon Kensinger Teacher Memorial" recognition. That distinction recognizes excellence among the almost 1,000 teachers who have served in the Spring Cove School District, and its Morrisons Cove predecessors, since the early 1900s.

Frank passed away in 2015 and was survived by his wife Virginia and their three sons, Kevin, Derin and Bruce.

Editor's Note: According to Herald archives, Moore was honored by the Spring Cove School District in May 2018 by having his name placed on the Leon E. Kensinger Memorial. The ceremony was held May 6, 2018.

The award recognizes (deceased) men and women who served the Spring Cove School District in an administrative or instructional capacity. Moore was chosen because of his years of dedicated service to the Spring Cove School District. Moore began his teaching career in the fall of 1951 when he was hired to teach history, health and physical education at Morrison Cove High, Martinsburg.

Moore enjoyed teaching at the brownstone, according to his wife Virginia.

Moore's service included time as a guidance counselor at Central and being the head baseball and basketball coach.

After more than 38 years of service to the district, Moore retired from education in 1989.

Moore was described as, "dependable, professional, trustworthy, hardworking, well-liked by both students and faculty and having a wholesome attitude toward teaching."

The Altoona Mirror's obituary for Moore noted:

When Moore was hired as basketball and baseball coach at Morrison Cove High School in 1951, the Mirror reported: "If Junie Moore is as good a coach as he is a player, Cove High has got a winner. He played first string on every team he ever tried out for, most recently the Penn State basketball team."