100-Year-Old Rancho Bernardo Resident to Receive Award from 108-Year-Old College

LA MIRADA, CA (03/20/2013)(readMedia)-- Today, Rancho Bernardo long-time resident Virginia Moats will receive Biola University's 2013 Anna Horton Ruby Award for Lifetime Commitment and Service. At 100 years of age, Moats has been a vital donor for new campus buildings as well as consistently supporting Biola's scholarship fund.

Virginia Moats, born in 1912 in Chicago, Ill., moved to Los Angeles in 1942, after her husband, Alvin W. Kunke, decided to practice law on the west coast. Within two years, Moats opened two clothing shops in the Los Angeles area. After her husband died in 1966, Moats moved to La Jolla, where she met her second husband, Wendell A. Moats. Wendell made a career with Bankers Life in Des Moines, Iowa. The two moved to Rancho Bernardo in 1986, where Moats still resides. Her husband passed in 2001. The couple was passionate about pouring into and working with young people.

"We had lots of friends, and some of them had children that were at Biola and some that were going to Biola," Moats said.

She and her husband Wendell were first introduced to Biola and have since contributed to many building projects. A lecture classroom in Biola's Crowell of School of Business building is named Moats hall. Moats has displayed a lifetime of service and commitment to Biola students through her generosity and personal investment in their lives.

"She has a true passion to provide support through prayer, encouragement through writing personal notes to students and staff, and her financial commitments to see Biola thrive make her an exemplary candidate for this award," said Irene Neller, vice president of University Communications and Marketing.

Ruby awards are given to Biola affiliated women who exemplify godly traits. The Anna Horton Ruby Award is a distinct award designated for woman who, like wife to Biola founder T.C. Horton and the first dean of women, play a vital and dynamic role in the lives of students at Biola and are committed to supporting their educational and spiritual journey.

In honor of National Women's History Month, the Ruby Award will be presented at a luncheon on Biola's campus on March 20, 2013.

Written by Rachel Snyder, Media Relations Intern. For more information, contact Jenna Bartlo, Media Relations Specialist, at 562.777.4061 or at jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu.