Marker #1 - Coach Lester Moore
Temple ISD Historic Marker #1 was dedicated on 9/24/14 at the Meridith-Dunbar ECA Gymnasium.
This plaque is available for viewing anytime through the fence, outside of the gymnasium on the east side of the school located at 1717 E. Avenue J in Temple.
"Lester Moore, a Temple native, was an African-American teacher and coach who served all students of Temple ISD. Coach Moore was the first African-American coach at Temple High School, and one of the first African-Americans in Texas to serve as a head basketball coach in a 4A integrated high school.
Before coaching at THS, Coach Moore lead the boy's basketball team at Meridith-Dunbar High School. Over eleven seasons at Dunbar, his teams compiled a record of 252-54, and made the playoffs eight times, winning the state championship in 1958.
As a former Temple baseball catcher, Coach Moore was nicknamed "Rocking Chair" for his style behind the plate. Coach Moore's players remember him as positive and jovial but also always commanding respect."
