September 14, 2022 - The Center High School Alumni Committee has selected two recipients for induction into the Hall Of Honor this year - Capt. John M. Moore (Class of ’62) and John K. Latham, Jr. (Class of ’65). The awards will be presented at the All School Alumni meeting on Saturday morning, September 24 at the John Windham Civic Center. The meeting starts at 10 am but come early for a good seat and plenty of time to visit with other ex-students.
Capt. John M. Moore
John M. Moore was born 1943 in Center, Texas the son of Floyd and Helen Fay Moore. He graduated with the Center High School class of 1962. His accomplishments in school included letterman in football (captain, all-district honorable mention), basketball, track, golf, and tennis (District doubles champion). He was the President of his high school class for three years.
Moore went on to receive a B.S. in Electrical Engineering at Texas A&M University and M.S. in Electrical Engineering at Oklahoma State University. As an outstanding graduate, his name is honored in the lobby of the new Texas A&M University Engineering Building.
He began his professional career by joining NASA’s Apollo moon landing program. During the 1969 moon landing, Moore helped provide flight communications technical assistance for the mission. He accepted a Commission as an Officer in the U. S. Public Health Service (PHS), a branch of the Uniformed Services composed of medical and engineering Professionals.
Capt. Moore worked on the Atomic Energy Commission nuclear testing program; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund hazardous waste site cleanup program, and environmental monitoring programs. He also directed or participated in programs with the U. S. Department of Energy, the State of Nevada, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and Clark County, NV. He was Director of one of only four EPA National Environmental Research Laboratories for the entire country.
During his 30 year career, he received numerous citations, awards, and medals from both the PHS and EPA, including the PHS Outstanding Service Medal and EPA Silver Medal Award. Capt. Moore retired with the rank of Navy Captain (O-6) and is a Registered Professional Engineer for the State of Texas.
Capt. Moore endowed a scholarship at Texas A&M, giving preference to Shelby County high school graduates; and endowed a scholarship at Oklahoma State -- both in his mother’s name.
John K. Latham, Jr.
Born and raised in Center, Texas, John K. Latham, Jr. graduated from Center High School with the Class of 1965. He subsequently attended Panola College, Stephen F. Austin University, and the University of Houston.
Latham entered the insurance business in 1966 becoming an insurance underwriter and holding positions in Houston, Corpus Christi, and Dallas; and then in Atlanta, Georgia; Stamford, Connecticut; and Richmond, Virginia where he spent the last 26 years of his career.
In 1991, Latham became President and CEO of Colony Insurance Companies. Upon the sale of this group in 2002, he rejoined Markel Corporation and finished out his career with a 3-year stint as the corporation’s Chief Information Officer and then as President of Markel Wholesale, one of the country’s largest specialty insurance operations.
In 1993, Latham was elected to the Board of Directors of a national organization of specialty insurance operations (NAPSLO) and ultimately served as the President for the 2000-2001 term. He was awarded the Charles A. McAlear Award in 2008 recognizing his long-term contributions to the specialty insurance market and to the organization.
After living in Richmond for 26+ years, John and his wife of almost 47 years, Phyllis, relocated to the Tyler area in 2013, living adjacent to Lake Palestine near Bullard, Texas. His daughter, Tammy and her husband, Michael Steele live in Waxahachie, Texas with twin children Lindsay Millman (and her husband Les, and two children, Lyla and Lincoln) and Nick Steele (and his wife, Caitie) living in Houston and Denton respectively. John and Phyllis’ daughter, Jennifer, lives with her husband Nate Shotwell and their twelve-year-old daughter, Riley Anne, in Richmond, Virginia.
As a retiree, Latham is actively involved with The Dew Boys, a golf group based at Eagle’s Bluff on Lake Palestine. This group, aside from having fun playing golf, has raised over $150,000 over the past five years for a scholarship fund at UT Tyler in concert with The Texas Wounded Warriors Foundation. Additionally, he has served as Director and Secretary of The Chapel on Eagles Bluff since its formation. This non-profit entity has fully funded and constructed a non-denominational Chapel and adjacent prayer garden which serves the Eagle’s Bluff neighborhood area.
John K. Latham, Jr. and Capt. John M. Moore are both elected to the Center High School Hall of Honor, 2022. Congratulations!
