The Chamber Salutes Board Member Linda Moore

Chamber Board Member Linda Moore (click to enlarge)

The Elwood Chamber Board welcomed four new members this past December. One of them, Linda Moore, is an Elwood Panther to her core and purrfectly content never to stray far from home. And she hasn’t. Growing up in a house on South 14th Street, she graduated from Elwood High in 1974 (the first class to graduate from what was then the “new” school), and in 1978, married Dan Moore, who grew up in the house around the corner on the very same block on South E Street.

Today, after 38 years of marriage, Linda and Dan live in his old house – along with their two dogs, Lillie and Gracie. For Linda, the old adage, “There’s No Place Like Home,” couldn’t be more true.

Linda brings that same affinity for domestic tranquility to her new appointment to the Chamber Board, as well as her elected position on the Elwood City Council.
 
“I love my city,” she said, when she sat down to talk with us in March, “and rather than sit back and growl about what’s going on, I think it’s important to get involved.”
 
What’s more, Linda says she’s not afraid to be the lone vote on an issue she feels strongly about.
 
“That’s okay,” she said. “I want to do what’s best for the town.”
 
Marcy Fry, executive director for the Elwood Chamber, was delighted when Linda accepted the board’s invitation.
 
“Linda has been a welcome addition to the board,” Marcy said. “She is one of those people you can always count on to step up to the plate to help.”
 
As a member of the Elwood City Council, Linda enhances the partnership between the city and the Chamber, Marcy explained.
 
“Through Linda, the city has a voice on the Chamber board. Each month, she updates the Chamber on upcoming events and items discussed at the recent City Council meeting.”
 
As for Linda’s work with the Chamber, although she admits she is still a board “rookie,” she is delighted to be part of the group that she sees as upbeat, hopeful, motivated, and innovative.

“I really like the board’s positive attitude,” she said. “Marcy Fry is a big benefit, and everyone is optimistic. They’re constantly looking for fresh ideas, and I like it that the members aren’t satisfied with keeping things the way they’ve always been.”
 
Linda has many interests, but there is none she is more passionate about than animals. She has poured much of that passion into the local animal shelter, which, as she emphasized, is a no-kill facility. Built by the Building Trades students from the John Hinds Career Center, the shelter was a long time coming and has been housing animals since April 2015. Linda is proud of the improvements and progress being made there during her time as a volunteer.
 
“We now have kennels with sturdy gates and washable wall board, and an air exchange system,” she said. “We always need volunteers. Animals are God-given, and we owe it to them to care for them.”
 
Of all the community’s public activities, Linda feels the Glass Festival most effectively illuminates the city’s best features. It’s an event she has participated in for years with her Kappa Delta Phi sorority sisters, as well as with her husband, who helps run the car show for his car club, Vintage Rollers.
 
Linda shares her husband’s love for classic cars, and during warmer months, they cruise in to car shows around the state, driving his ’55 Chevy Bel Air or his ’63 Chevy Impala. But, as she pointed out, the Bel Air is by far his favorite.
 
“It’s like the ‘other woman,’” she said with a wink and grin. “But I’m okay with that.”
 
Looking ahead, Linda believes the people of Elwood have always been the community’s greatest resource for ensuring growth and a bright future. It’s why she is such an advocate for positive change. The sure way to accomplish that, she says, is by taking measures that ensure Elwood is an inviting destination for newcomers.
 
“We have a lot of good people,” she said. “You hear all the negatives, but when something bad comes up, the people always rally. I admire that about our community.”

(Click each photo to display caption.)