University System Chancellor John Sharp on Thursday is expected to present to the Board of Regents a proposal to honor former student and Texas Senator William Tyler “Bill” Moore.
Sharp will propose the renaming of the John B. Connally Building to the Moore-Connally Building in honor of Moore.
“There is no other public servant that has had as much an impact on the success of the A&M System as Bill Moore,” Sharp said in a statement. “He is largely responsible for the A&M System’s status as a world-class system of higher education. We will continue to build upon his legacy.”
Moore graduated from Texas A&M in 1940 and taught at the University until joining the U.S. Army Air Corps during in WWII. In 1946 he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives until being elected to the Senate in 1949 where he served the Brazos Valley until 1981.
As a lawmaker, he authored or sponsored more than 50 pieces of legislation directly benefiting the A&M System by increasing appropriations and growth opportunities for member institutions.
Moore worked to expand the physical presence of the A&M System and fought to obtain additional funding and resources. No other legislator has procured more funding for the A&M System, earning him the name, “father of the modern Texas A&M University” and the “Bull of the Brazos.”
“Senator Bill Moore is a giant among Texas A&M former students,” said Phil Adams, chairman of the Texas A&M System Board of Regents. “No legislator, past or present, has accomplished more for our great University system.”
In addition to honoring Moore, the regents will also approve the fiscal year 2014 operating budgets and the A&M System Capital Plan for fiscal year 2014.
The regents will also authorize Sharp to negotiate and execute the transition agreement with University President R. Bowen Loftin, who announced his resignation in July.
The naming’s of the Bright Football Complex expansion of athletic facilities and related structures is also on the list, with donor’s names being attached to the new entrance and student nutrition center.