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Scholarship Fund Honors GMS and Philanthropy

In 2013, Greenbrier County native Dr. Nathaniel Harris established the Moore Family Philanthropic Scholarship Honoring Greenbrier Military School.  to promote philanthropy and pay tribute to Greenbrier Military School’s commitment to enriching the community. 

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A 1966 graduate of Greenbrier Military School (GMS), Dr. Harris desires today’s students to learn from the example set by the military school.  Students who apply for the scholarship will be required to visit the Greenbrier Military School Museum located in the WVSOM Foundation building in Lewisburg and to write an essay on the value of philanthropy.  Dr. Harris would like students to process and internalize their experiences at the museum.  “I would like them to think about the impact that the teaching, training, and discipline had on GMS students and how it helped them develop into leaders.”  He also wants today’s students to consider how they have benefited from the philanthropy of others and why people become philanthropists.  “Do good leaders become philanthropists or do philanthropists become good leaders?”

 

Any graduating senior in the Greenbrier Valley will be eligible to apply.   Students selected for the scholarship will exhibit academic achievement, financial need, and humanitarianism.  Two awards from the fund each year will be reserved for students who participate in the JROTC program.   

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Dr. Harris is the grandson of Colonel Houston Burger “H.B” Moore who owned Greenbrier Military School from 1920 until 1970 along with his brothers Colonel David Tay “D.T.” Moore and Colonel Joseph M “Joe” Moore.  During those years, their philanthropic contributions significantly guided the community’s development.  All three brothers as well as their children have had a long history of service and contributions to the Greenbrier Valley including numerous acts of generosity to assist GMS faculty and students and community members.   In addition to playing active roles at GMS, they served on many local, state, and national boards among which are City Council, Old Stone Presbyterian Church, Rotary, Beni Kedem Shrine, Benevolent Order of Elks, the Greenbrier Valley Fair Association, Union Theological Seminary, WV Angus Cattle Association, the Soil Conservation Commission of WV, and the US Farm Credit Administration and fought in World War I.  Furthermore, as part of his commitment to improving the lives of young people, HB Moore founded Camp Shaw-Mi-Del-Eca, was instrumental in the start of the Greenbrier Youth Camp, and was a founding director of the State Fair of West Virginia.  It is this tradition of philanthropy carried on by the Moore’s, their descendants, and many other men who attended GMS that Dr. Harris seeks both to honor and promote.  “I would like Greenbrier Military School to continue to remain a strong part of the life blood of the community through this scholarship.”

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As an endowed fund, The Moore Family Philanthropic Scholarship Honoring Greenbrier Military School will exist in perpetuity.  All donations to the fund are protected and earnings will be used to pay the scholarship.  Accordingly, fifty and even one hundred years from now, students will continue to receive the scholarship, visit the GMS museum, perform community service as well as think about philanthropy and the legacy of GMS.  

 

Visitors to the GMS Museum will see a variety of exhibits including this poster that explains what life was like for a Greenbrier cadet.

Essay Questions for the Moore Family Philanthropic Scholarship Honoring Greenbrier Military School

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  • Based on your visit to the Greenbrier Military School Museum, compare the educational experience at GMS and at your high school.Be certain to include the following in your response:

  1. What was the general atmosphere at GMS like compared to your school?

  2. What was a typical day like at GMS compared to your school?

  3. What are the benefits (if any) of either educational system?

  4. How were problems such as bullying, disrespect, and indolence handled at GMS compared to your school?

  5. How do the different approaches prepare students for the future?

 

  • The Moore family’s philanthropy helped direct the development of the greater Greenbrier Valley in the middle half of the twentieth century.Discuss the meaning of philanthropy.Be certain to include the following in your response:

  1. How can a person be philanthropic in addition to monetary donations?

  2. How is philanthropy beneficial to both the recipient and the philanthropist?

  3. Have you ever benefitted from someone’s philanthropy?

  4. Have you ever been philanthropic and do you anticipate being philanthropic in the future?

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  • A large percentage of GMS alumni have become successful leaders in their communities.Many attribute their successes to their experience at GMS.Discuss the connection between philanthropy, education, and leadership.Be certain to include the following in your response:

  1. Can you teach someone to be philanthropic?

  • If yes, what methods of education would be more likely to encourage philanthropy and why?Were these techniques employed at GMS?Are they utilized at your school?

  • If no, how does a person develop philanthropic tendencies?

  1. What other sources, experiences, and exposures could cause someone to become philanthropic.

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