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Photo by Leslie Slape / The Daily News Former RAL coach Joe Moses, 93, was ‘speechless’ at a ceremony Sunday naming the RAL basketball court after him.

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It's Joe Moses' court now

Monday, March 3, 2008 5:35 AM PST

By Leslie Slape

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Joe Moses said he expected to see a few old friends and former ballplayers at a ceremony Sunday afternoon to name R.A. Long High School's basketball court after him. He said he never imagined about 300 people nearly filling the Monticello Hotel ballroom. "I'm sort of speechless," said Moses, 93.

"I'm just kinda lucky to have a gym named after me while I'm still alive," he said. "I figured I'd have to die first."

The odyssey to Sunday's honor began last spring when Kelso barber Bill Ammons and some of Moses' former players petitioned the Longview School Board to name the court for Moses, who coached the Lumberjacks from 1946 to '57. Moses' teams won seven league titles and made seven appearances at the state tournament while compiling a 179-95 overall record.

The school board was reluctant to agree to what Ammons called "a no-brainier." Moses' supporters would not give up, and in November, the board voted unanimously to name the court for Moses.

Those six months were stressful, Moses said, but he made light of it Sunday.

"I thought if I died everything would go fine," he joked.

Ammons, who organized the event with his wife, Patty, said it's clear from Sunday's crowd that Moses influenced his players, some of whom went on to successful careers in sports and other fields.

Dignitaries at the event, hosted by Lower Columbia College athletic director Kirc Roland, included Tom Hansen, Pacific-10 conference commissioner; Mike Gregoire, husband of Gov. Chris Gregoire; and retired state Sen. Sid Snyder.

Speakers read congratulatory letters from retired UCLA Coach John Wooden; rocket engineer Paul Laufman; Western Washington University, where he is the only member of the all-century team who graduated before 1960; and the Portland Trail Blazers.

"As an educator and a coach, Joe helped shape the talent and character of students in Washington and California for over five decades," Gov. Chris Gregoire wrote, adding there was "no better way to honor" Moses than by renaming the court for him.

Local historian Clyde Shadiow decorated the hall with photos of Moses and his teams.

"This brings a lot of people together," Shadiow said. "They reminisce when they were young, they say things, they laugh ... that's what I like."

Ammons said he collected about $3,500 in donations that should pay for the event and signs designating the gym Joe Moses Court.

Castle Rock historian Jim Lemonds recounted Moses' life story in lively detail, beginning with Moses' youth in Castle Rock.

"There were only two metal hoops in the Rock in those days," Lemonds said. "So Joe and his brother nailed a wooden crate to a shed in the alley and played with a rubber ball."

After graduating from Western, Moses coached at Ryderwood High School.

"Joe's basketball team in '43 defeated R.A. Long twice - which might have something to do with why R.A. Long hired him three years later," Lemonds said.

People in the crowd took turns talking about Moses.

Retired school administrator Larry Fleckenstein said his older siblings played for Moses at R.A. Long, but when he was ready to go to high school, Moses transferred to the new Mark Morris High School. The school bus to Mark Morris didn't go out to 36th Avenue, where the Fleckensteins lived.

Fleckenstein walked to Mark Morris every day, sometimes getting a ride in with a custodian.

"After practice, I thumbed rides home," he said. "All for the love of Joe Moses."

Feel good, means nothing wrote on Mar 3, 2008 8:42 AM:

" Once again I will raise the question: Where is the passion like this when it comes down to doing the work that removes the distinction of R.A. Long being a drop out factory? We should all be very ashamed of what our alma mater has become in regards to academics. That is of far, far greater importance than this. And has a much bigger impact on the quality of our community than this. "

To Feel Good: wrote on Mar 3, 2008 9:24 AM:

" And since you try raining on everyone's parade, what are you doing to help the drop-out rate? If nothing, quit complaining.

Way to go Joe!! "

re: feel good, mean nothing wrote on Mar 3, 2008 9:50 AM:

" I feel so sorry for you...what a sad little life you must have. Here's a man that DID something that helped lots of people's lives...not just sit and complain about what others DON'T do and you can't even at least quit whining for a day. "

RE: To Feel Good: wrote on Mar 3, 2008 10:03 AM:

" That is exactly the sentiment any time anyone even comes close to questioning the motives of anything involving athletics. As a parent who works on two committees involving important issues at R.A. Long other than athletics I am terribly disappointed in the alumni in this community who work on projects like this and avoid the real problems such as creating an academic environment that fosters success. There is so much work to be at R.A. Long to remove the taint that has besmeeched it. Yet this is all that many of these people care about. What a disgrace. "

78 R. A. Long Grad wrote on Mar 3, 2008 10:48 AM:

" This was about the naming of the gym for a man who did good things for R. A. Long back in the day....they are honoring him. I think it's great that he was here to enjoy it. It looks as though it really touched his heart and those who attended. This is a good story...it's nice to see them once in a while. "

To Re: Feel Good wrote on Mar 3, 2008 11:01 AM:

" Just so you know, Joe did a great deal for students and the community. Also, do you know how much the school will get in scholarships because of this? Evidently not! Roughly $2 Million. Now do you feel good about what you say? "

Yes I do wrote on Mar 3, 2008 11:35 AM:

" Yes I do feel good about what I said. I am tired of seeing this kind of passion for athletics. I don't see 300 people attend the meetings that are important about the school. Scholarship money isn't what will improve the graduation rates. This school needs academic programs for the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to get them on track and keep them on track to graducate. Money that is donated for alums to use after graduation isn't solving bigger problems that the school has. Now do you feel good about your comments? "

Re: Yes I do wrote on Mar 3, 2008 11:43 AM:

" Yep, still feel great. Don't you think it's more than just a school district issue? It seems like a Longview, as a whole, issue. So please don't ruin what a great man has done. If you are so interested, maybe contact your legislator. I didn't have any problems thru high school and I never once needed help, so what is it that you are expecting people to do? Be parents? "

To The 2 Squabblers wrote on Mar 3, 2008 12:47 PM:

" Maybe you are both right!!! Yes there needs to be more community involvement in the schools today so we can better them. But on the same note this man deserves to be recognized for his amazing career, not only as a coach but obviously for inspiring young people to excel. This is what it is all about. Unfortunatly there are not many men or women willing to give themselves to 1 cause these days and the end result is what we have here. We must come together as a community and not INDIVIDUALS to have a strong school and community here. As long as we live for ourselves and not as a community striving to help one another the drop outs will rise and crime will grow. "

It's all about priorities wrote on Mar 3, 2008 2:01 PM:

" Nothing against Mr. Moses. But this school has far bigger issues than naming an athletic site. I urge everyone who was in attendance who calls themself an R.A. Long alum to look in the mirror and ask yourself: Can I do something that will help remove the stigma of being a drop-out factory from this high school? Or do I just care about preserving my memories? This was wasted time and effort on the part of the people who pushed this through. The district people have far bigger and greater issues to tackle than wasting time on this nonsense. "

Hey: It's all about priorities wrote on Mar 3, 2008 3:24 PM:

" Would you consider the time Mr. Moses gave to the youth a waste of time? I do not think that honoring a man who had such a positive influence on so many young people in his day is a waste of time. Yes things have changed over the years, but maybe shedding a little light on the positive could have a positive influence on just one student who may have "dropped out". I think there is a lot of room for improvement, but does that mean we should just look past all of the positive stuff in the past. Maybe a reminder of what used to be could help some see how it could be again. Bring your priorities and ideas to the school board meetings and be part of the solution. "

Karen wrote on Mar 3, 2008 3:47 PM:

" Re: Yes I do.....Have you ever considered volunteering in our local schools? They need people like you that can redirect your energy into doing something good. And it is so rewarding.It starts with people like Joe that gave above and beyond his "job." He saw those kids that were acting out or trying to get attention and took time to talk to them and find out what they were all about. You should have seen and heard some of these kids yesterday as grown successful men. Many have Joe to thank for that accomplishment. What a blessing to have unselfish people like Joe even at 93 still wondering what else he can do for these kids before he is gone. It has been an honor to have met you Joe. "

Here's a thought... wrote on Mar 3, 2008 3:54 PM:

" I have a child attending RAL and although we are only half way through Freshman year, I have noticed and been notified of quite a few things that are helpful to keeping students on track. Inside the Semester grade reports was a blue paper with a list of places and times for students to get help in specific classes. There is a meeting coming up here soon, a student led conference, that encourages the students to set a plan for a career and set goals for how they are going to achieve them. There is a handbook that we have a copy of that shows what kinds of classes the students should take based on their post high school plans, such as classes for college bound students as well as technical schools. I realize these few things I mention are not the end all solution to fixing the drop out rate, but I have to say that if a student wants to succeed there are plenty of "Programs" to choose from. I do not think it is the "job" of the schools to chase down and "help" students who choose not to help themselves. "

Please wrote on Mar 3, 2008 4:22 PM:

" Feel good did you go to the gathering or are you just assuming that people that attended only cares about athletics. I don't think so. I agree with you about more people being involved in all aspects of the school. I have been very involved in building projects at the RA Long baseball fields, but I also serve on committees that are not related to athletics. As far as RA Long being a DROP out Factory, I don't think that is a true assessment of RA Long. I hope you did some checking on the drop outs. We have a lot of kids that move, you have the illegals that play sports, but drop out as soon as the season is over, you have parents that don't care if the students drop out. Did you go to the school board when the district cut $$200,000 out of Special Ed and not a dime out of athletics.
I agree with you that the kids are in school for learning. Sports are a privilege and not a right. an people do put way to much emphasis on sports, but I feel sports can go hand in hand with the academics.
As for honoring Joe Moses, this had nothing to do with sports being more important than academics. It was honoring a man as a sports TEACHER.
"

MMFAN wrote on Mar 3, 2008 4:58 PM:

" I thought this article was about honoring Joe Moses not the drop out rate at RAL. The only thing that will change that is for the parents to be involved in their child's life. Don't give them a choice make them go to school. One more thing. They even transferred to Mark Morris back in the 50's to play for a great coach!!!! "

To: 2-Committee Parent wrote on Mar 3, 2008 6:41 PM:

" Uh, that would be "besmirched" - not "besmeeched." LOL. But I love your word as well.

I never thought I would say this, but athletics have a place in high school as well as academics. Your point is taken, however. Academics are more important - but it doesn't hurt to honor anyone interested in kids and their futures. "

Re: Here's a thought wrote on Mar 3, 2008 7:57 PM:

" You are right on in your comments about student success. There is an old saying in education that goes something like this, "Schools are a reflection of their community". RAL has the toughest senior project around and one of the most challenged areas of town to serve. You put the two together and you get an increased drop out rate. As a parent I would question any parent that does not know where their children are 24/7, or spend time with them and hold them accountable, it is our job as parents. The teachers at RAL are not any different than anywhere else, they work long hard hours trying to figure out ways to help kids who are coming from increasingly dysfunctional backgrounds. All this for pay that is less than most other occupations that require similar educations. I say that people like Joe Moses deserve all the credit they can get. We will never really know just how many kids he diverted from trouble along the way. I for one salute him even though I have never met him I admire him. Good job Mr Moses. "

To MMFan from the 78 R. A. Long Grad wrote on Mar 3, 2008 9:09 PM:

" Your comments were right on the money. "

Toutle Grad wrote on Mar 4, 2008 9:50 AM:

" To hell with RA longs dropout rate.This article is about a wonderful and respected man.My husband has very fond memories of Joe and Virgil Simmons when he was in High School at Toutle Lake.Also his father and Joe played basketball together on the same team in Silver Lake.So forget about the drop out rate at RA long and honor this wonderful man.You don't see many like Joe anymore. "

Besmeeched wrote on Mar 4, 2008 3:24 PM:

" Were you the last one picked for kickball as a kid? "

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