Pullman residents remember late artist and teacher

Pullman's Holiday Inn was filled with art, videos, wine, food and about 100 friends Saturday as members of the community celebrated the life of Vic Moore, who died in November.

Moore was an art teacher for over 20 years at Pullman High School, but he was also an artist, a writer, a joker, a conservationist, a great friend and a long time husband and father.

Moore died at 87 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

Roberta "Bobbie" Moore, his wife of 63 years, said through the last years of Moore's life his memory started slipping, but she said he was still there until the end.

"He still gave me kisses," she said.

Vic and Bobbie had lived in Pullman for 43 years, while Vic taught school and made art.

Past students who became lifetime friends came to the memorial and brought art they had commissioned from him or that he had given to them as presents.

His only son, Mark Allan said Moore was artistically inspired by Native Americans as well as by "naive artists."

"Naive artists are untrained artists. They create art in their own environment and nobody ever sees it," Allan said.

Moore's art was mostly made of wood and other scrap pieces he found around the house. His most popular art was whirligigs. These pieces, made of wood and copper wires, move with the wind. The platform supports wooden figures in various scenes and situations that animate when the wind - or childlike curiosity - spins a propeller.

Allan said Moore built many whirligigs around political and social events happening at the time.

"He took actual events that were happening in the news at the time, like the Tail Hook (naval scandal), and made a whirligig about that," Allan said.

Allan and Bobbie also said Vic and Bobbie made two different houses in their lifetime. These houses were special because they were made out of only scrap pieces and parts.

Allan said Moore also grew trees in his yard and would manipulate the limbs and branches to form patterns and shapes. Later he would use the wood from those trees to make pieces of art.

One student, a good family friend, helped put together the memorial. Doug Wriggles attended Pullman High School as a boy and said Moore was the only teacher he looked up to.

"I was a bit of what they called a hellion," Wriggles said.

Wriggles said he had never thought about putting how he felt for Moore into words, but described him as a mentor and friend.

"I was a trouble maker in school and Vic put up with me more than other teachers did," Vic said.

"He was an inspiration because he recognized an individual and respected me as an individual."

Vic Moore's art can still be seen today. One of his masterpieces, called Junk Castle, sits outside of Pullman. Bobbie said it's a three story castle made of car scraps and other pieces of junk Vic could find.

Vic's life, marriage and art inspired many friends and family. Together they remembered Vic by creating a museum of his art, if only for a few hours.

Danielle Wiley can be reached at intern1@dnews.com