Gloria Moore
Retired school nurse, Director of Preschool Programs and wife of retired pastor Carl Moore, Allen Temple AME Church Which women have made the biggest impact in your everyday life?
Inspiring Women Meet Some of Our County’s Influential Women BY ASHLEY VELEZ
Cherokee County isn’t short on fascinating women or the women who inspire them. In honor of Women’s History Month, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing a handful of local women, many of whom are born and raised here or have lived here a long time. Listening and learning from each one left me buoyed, electrified and with a tenable bond of sisterhood. This is a collection of interview-style responses from some of the amazing women who live here. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed listening and learning from them. Ashley Velez is a digital marketing strategist, freelance writer and company culture advocate. She's a proud resident of Woodstock, where she lives with her family.
24
AROUND CANTON | March 2021
Dr. Barbara Sable, Director of the Nursing Program at the University of Kansas Nursing Center. I became an instructor for licensed practical nurses there after budget cuts eliminated the school nursing positions where I was previously working. I was married and had two small children. Dr. Sable wanted me to teach the classes I struggled with in college. I wanted the job, but I didn’t feel like I could teach the courses that I’d previously struggled with. She was so encouraging, and said to me, “You can. You’re smart, you’re prepared.” I worked there for three years, and she encouraged me the whole time. I also thought the world of my sister, Helen. She was 12 years older than me and married to a colonel in the Army. She was very well-traveled, and lived all over the world. She really inspired me in everything she did; the way she dressed, shopped, everything. She taught me how to decorate, entertain, and what to say. In fact, my husband, Carl, got so tired of me talking about my sister that he once said, “I don’t want to hear anything else about what Helen said!”
What piece of advice would you offer young women who are just graduating from school?
Life can change at any time, embrace the change. It can get better. Pray about most things. God knows what’s present and in the future in your life. Keep exploring and learning, you’re never too old to learn something new. As for me, I’m playing bridge, discovering gardening, and I started a book club! Love and respect your husband and children, if you want them to do the same.
Who’s one local female who’s inspired you?
When my husband, Carl, and I were still living in East Cobb, (before our move to Woodstock in 1999) there was a member of our church, Lula May Brownlee, who really inspired me. She was on a mission for Allen Temple and for Woodstock! I’ve never met anyone who loved the church or the community more than Ms. Brownlee. She was monumental in helping us grow the church. People would meet her in the grocery store, and then they’d come in on Sunday and say, “We met this little lady in the grocery store, and she told us about the church!” She would have an annual Christmas Tea at her home, and people from the community would come, everyone - the mayor, too - would come. It was kind of a fundraiser for the church. We loved her so much. “There’s no place like Woodstock,” she would say. She was the reason we decided to move to Woodstock, too. Allen Temple was within the city limits, and we decided we wanted to be within the city limits, too. So in 1999, we made Woodstock (and the neighborhood of Deer Run) our home. We’ve been here ever since!
