Bob Moats Named Distinguished Alumni at Hardin-Simmons University

ABILENE, TX (10/26/2011)(readMedia)-- Bob Moates, of Collier County, Florida, has been named a distinguished alumni for Hardin-Simmons Univerisity in Abilene, Texas. Moates was given this honor at the school's homecoming, October 21 - 23, 2011.

WWII veteran, civic activist, and family man, Bob Moates, has been dutifully serving on organizational boards, auctioneering at fundraisers, and giving his time and talents to Collier County, Florida, residents for almost 45 years.

Bob Moates worked for 20 years as an executive with Palmer Broadcasting Company Cable TV Division, the predecessor to Comcast Cable, in Naples, Florida. Following his retirement in 1987 as vice president of the company's board of directors, Bob became a realtor.

Bob graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in 1951 with a BA in journalism and economics. Journalism was a deep interest of Bob's while at HSU, serving on the Brand staff and as its business manager.

Bob is the owner of Moates Enterprises, a charity auction company. As auctioneer he has helped raise over $11 million for non-profit organizations in Collier County, Florida. Among the recipients are the Collier County YMCA, the Kiwanis Club, the Rotary Club, and the Shelter for Abused Women.

He has served on the board of the Guadalupe Center, starting the "Kicks for Kids" shoes and supplies drive for the Redlands Christian Migrant Association. Since 1978, Bob and his wife, Jane Rowland, a 1951 graduate of HSU, have donated over 13,000 pairs of sneakers to children in need.

Bob served as president of the Naples Chamber of Commerce, and in 2006, was named Naples' Outstanding Citizen of the Year. He was also invited to Washington, D.C., to receive the Jackie Kennedy Onassis Jefferson Award for Public Service. The award is nationally recognized as the "Nobel Prize" for community service. It entitles the winners to meet high-level government officials, including senators, representatives, and Supreme Court justices.

As a WW II veteran, serving in the U.S. Army in Guam in 1946, Bob received a four-year scholarship for his college education.

While at HSU, Bob was extremely active in the Rangers, a group he helped organize as a service organization active in sports events and other university endeavors. The Rangers wore boots, jeans, and all members wore the same style western shirt.

Bob was vice president of the student body and was elected to Who's Who Among Students.

In addition to his campus activities, Bob also worked a full shift at Mack Eplen's Restaurant at North 3rd and Hickory Streets, which was a favorite hang-out place for HSU students.

Moates was born in Breckenridge, Texas, in 1927. He and Jane met at Hardin-Simmons University in 1950. They married in 1951 and moved to Naples in 1967, where Moates became an executive at Palmer Cablevision.

He became a realtor in 1987 and one year later was honored by the Naples Area Board of Realtors with its coveted Ad Miller Award.

Moates is known for his frank talk and videos about colon cancer. He regularly disperses upbeat and often off-beat tidbits of information as a regular contributor to the Naples Daily News' Letters to the Editor.

As dedicated as Moates is to his community, he is committed to his family and proud of his daughter Leeann, granddaughter Kim, and six-month-old great-grandson, Quinn.

About Hardin-Simmons:

HSU has an enrollment of approximately 2,300 undergrad and graduate students from 29 states and 19 countries.

HSU has a 13:1 student faculty ratio with a campus that sits on 209 acres. Seventy-nine percent of HSU's faculty hold the highest degree in their field. The university is named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the best universities in the western region of the United States and is listed by The Princeton Review as a Top Ten Best in the West University. It is a member of the Colleges of Distinction, and the Chronicle of Higher Education named it to their honor roll as a "Great College to Work For."

Seven undergraduate degrees encompass 70 major fields including: athletic training, criminal justice, social work, counseling, psychology, molecular biology, biochemistry, environmental science, religion, music, art, teaching, history, communications, English, and sociology.

Ten graduate degrees include the Doctor of Ministry and the Doctor of Physical Therapy.

International study programs include England, Austria, Hong Kong, Spain, and Australia.

Hardin-Simmons University, founded in 1891, is a private Christian institution, and has been affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Texas Baptists) since 1941.