In the beginning, teaching math courses like Pre-Calculus for Business and Calculus for Business part-time was a way for retired engineer and Rutgers–Camden alumnus Paul Moré, Jr., to stay busy and keep his mind active. Thirteen years later, Paul says that teaching has helped change his life for the better, saying “It was as if this other side of me emerged once the politics of the Executive Boardroom were removed.” Indeed, Dr. Gabor Toth, Professor of Mathematics and Chair of the Department of Mathematics, says, “Paul Moré is an exemplary part-time lecturer… with a spotless record.” His students couldn’t be happier, either; Paul’s student’s evaluations of him consistently praise his teaching skills, noting how he breaks down difficult topics into easy-to-understand concepts, and that “[Mr.] Moré is doing more than teaching…he is changing lives for the better.”
Paul is changing lives for the better outside the classroom, as well. A devoted philanthropist, Paul began his charitable work in 2000, when he was inspired by the organization Amigos de Jesús, an orphanage in Honduras that was co-founded by his friend Father Dennis JW O’Donnell, Ph.D. Paul is a sponsor of the organization, helping to support the care and education of the children, and also spends time with the Honduran orphans that come to Philadelphia once a year for a visit. Additionally, Paul, his wife, Dianna, and his sister, Clara, sponsor a child who attends the Sacred Heart School in Camden. Along with providing financial support for the child’s school tuition, they get to meet the child once a year and tour the school, play on the playground, and enjoy lunch together. It is these personal interactions that Paul finds so meaningful. Paul, his wife, and his sister have sponsored this latest child since the first grade; she’s now in fourth grade, and he says, “It is such a joy to watch her grow each year.”
In 2007, Paul established the Moré Family Scholarship at Rutgers-Camden, his alma mater, as a way to honor his parents and help others achieve their dreams of earning a college degree. Paul, the eleventh of thirteen children, was born and raised in Camden, graduated from Camden High School, and enrolled at Rutgers–Camden, thanks to a New Jersey State Scholarship. Grateful for the opportunity to attend college, the Moré Family Scholarship helps Paul to pay the favor forward, and has helped twenty students achieve their dreams so far. Similar to his other charitable works, Paul most enjoys the personal relationships that develop out of his philanthropy, and makes a point to always connect with the student receiving the scholarship to share his parents’ life stories. “It is my way of continuing to honor my parents who sacrificed so much to ensure that we were taken care of.”
While he was a student at Rutgers–Camden, Paul prepared for a career in engineering, with a plan to transfer up to the New Brunswick campus when he completed his general education requirements and the courses he would need to enter the School of Engineering. Due to financial hardship, however, Paul’s plans changed, and he ended up completing his degree right here in Camden, earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.
As a student, Paul was active on campus, serving as president of the Lambda Sigma Chi Fraternity and the Inter-fraternity Council during the 1964-1965 academic year, and playing on both the junior varsity and varsity basketball teams, helping Rutgers–Camden win the Delaware Valley Conference Championship in the 1964-1965 season. He was also a top student, and fondly recalls classes with Drs. Alisbah, Willits, and Bidwell. In fact, it was a discussion with Dr. Alisbah that inspired Paul to pursue graduate studies.
After earning his bachelor’s degree, Paul left New Jersey to experience life in Tucson, where one of his sisters lived with her family and where he had earned a scholarship to pursue his master’s degree in mathematics at the University of Arizona. Before leaving for Arizona, however, Paul met Dianna, the woman who would eventually become his wife and the mother of his children, Paul III and Jacqueline, both of whom are Rutgers alumni (Paul’s wife is also a Rutgers graduate, with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing). While out west, he missed Dianna so much he decided to move back to New Jersey, and was able to enroll at Temple University, where he had previously been offered a graduate assistantship in their mathematics program. It was as a graduate student at Temple that Paul first got his chance at teaching, teaching freshman math classes while completing his graduate studies.
Paul joined the full-time workforce in 1967 as a civilian employee with the United States Army, working at the Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia. Through his employment with the Army, Paul was able to accomplish his goal of becoming an engineer, finishing his master’s degree in engineering at Penn State University. He worked for the Department of Defense (including two Navy activities) for thirty-five years as an engineer, manager, and finally as the Executive Director of Engineering, and received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award on three separate occasions (this award is the highest honor a civilian employee can receive from a Commanding Officer). Paul was also honored by the National Association of Professional Engineers for his numerous technical contributions during a National Engineer’s Week in 1989.
Since retiring from his post with the United States Navy, Paul has been an active member of the Rutgers–Camden community, serving as Vice President of the Camden Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and as a member of the Rutgers–Camden Faculty Council. Paul enjoys watching all sports and loves when he gets together with his three grandchildren, Ben, Ivy, and Will. When asked about the future, Paul responded, “I am happy just to use my God-given talents to inspire, motivate, and encourage the younger generations wherever and however I can.” Most recently, Paul was named a Golden Raptor, celebrating fifty years since he graduated from Rutgers–Camden, and the commencement of a long relationship with a college that is forever grateful for this alumnus and his generosity, dedication, and spirit.
About Paul Moré, Jr.
Position: Part-time Lecturer of Math
Hometown: Tabernacle, NJ
Written By Julie Roncinske