Families Honor Son with Memorial Scholarship Fund at Marion Tech

A new scholarship at Marion Technical College honors Kristian Jay Moore, a man who loved learning.

“Kris was the only one of our children who was upset when school was cancelled due to a snow day,” says his father, Al Moore.

Kris did not let Dandy-Walker Syndrome, a congenital brain malformation, slow him down. Kris graduated from Worthington Kilbourne High School in 1995. He then worked at ARC Industries in Columbus, where he received several awards for outstanding employee. He also won medals for swimming, bowling and track in the Special Olympics.

“Kris loved people, trains, reading and mathematics. He was the most joyful of people,” his mother, JoAnne Moore, remembers.

While Kris was growing up, Al was serving thousands of students at Marion Technical College as Dean and Professor of General Education.

“In my 25 years at Marion Tech, I was most proud of having students who were the first in their family to earn a college degree,” Al says.

After Al retired, the Moore family moved to Utah. Sadly, Kris died in 2020. In his memory, the Moore family and their long-time friends, the Foxes, created the new Kristian Jay Moore Scholarship which will help more women enter engineering.

“Kris loved to see people overcome any obstacles. Kris was the ultimate optimist. Supporting those who are optimistic about their future is something Kris would enjoy,” Al said. “Kris made the world a better place and now he will support women striving to make the world a better place through advancements in engineering.”

Pat and Mike Fox also wanted to honor Kris.

“Mike and I were always inspired by the love, support, and attention Al and JoAnne gave to all their children,” Pat Fox says. “The best way I can describe Kris is ‘joy.’ He found joy in the smallest things – riding his bike with all of us; and in bigger things – trains!”

Pat Fox taught as a business faculty member for more than 30 years. Her husband, Mike, worked at GTE and Verizon for 40 years as an equipment installer. He also served on the Marion Tech advisory committee when the new telecommunications program was started. Marion Tech continues to add innovative programs including the new Intel semi-conductor short-term certificate as well as a smart manufacturing program to meet the needs of the tomorrow’s workforce.

“The decision to set up a scholarship in Kris’s memory was an easy one,” Fox says. “Marion Tech has services available to help all students succeed. As a faculty member, I saw students succeed against all odds. I saw my coworkers give hope, encouragement and help to these students.”

“Marion Tech is a shining example of educational access and opportunity,” Al says.

“This is the ideal way to honor Kris’s legacy of kindness and curiosity,” says Mike Stuckey, Director of the Marion Tech Foundation. “That this comes from two well-respected Marion Tech retirees and their families show they believe in Marion Tech’s mission of hope and believing in students. This will support students for decades to come.”

“It is an amazing time to pursue a career in Engineering Technology and scholarships such as the Kris Moore scholarship pave the way to make it possible. The opportunities, the learning and the salary potential are just a part of the satisfaction that these careers can offer,” said Dr. Elizabeth Azhikannickal, Director of Engineering Technology at Marion Tech. “We continue to encourage women to pursue Engineering, to lean in, drive innovation and change in manufacturing and to serve as an example for future generations.”

This is the 47^th named scholarship fund for the Marion Tech Foundation. Anyone wishing to support this fund can click here and designate the Kristian Jay Moore Fund.