Lifelong Friends, Lasting Impact

Rosemary Moore’s Trinity University story does not begin with her own experience surrounded by the classic red brick of today’s campus, but rather on the Waxahachie campus, where her parents graduated.

The Rev. Alfred ’33, P’60, P’65 and Eleanor ’35, P’60, P’65 Dorsett attended the University when it was still affiliated with the United Presbyterian Church. Moore’s father, a Presbyterian minister in Houston, had always spoken highly of Trinity. “My parents knew Trinity well, and it just seemed like a familiar, obvious place for me to go,” she says.

By the time Moore ’65, P’95 followed her brother, William Dorsett ’60, P’84 to San Antonio, Trinity had relocated to its Skyline campus, perched on the hill with Murchison Tower rising toward the sky. “The chapel and the tower were built while I was a student. There was a feeling that we were part of this tremendous moment of growth for the University,” she says.

Majoring in education, Moore began her career in Houston after graduating from Trinity before moving with her husband, William, to San Angelo, where she taught in public school and later at Angelo State University. Thanks to her Trinity education, her influence on Texas’ educational landscape did not stop inside the classroom.

Working alongside Texas State Representative Robert Junell and Commissioner of Education for Texas Mike Moses, Moore played a key role in passing legislation that brought full-day kindergarten to every school district in the state.

“I consider that my biggest accomplishment as far as being widespread and affecting the most people,” Moore says. “My Trinity education major gave me the confidence to advocate for the bill. Here I was, just a little kindergarten teacher in San Angelo, on the phone with the state representative and the commissioner of education, people who have real power, and we were making real change for the better.”

Decades later, Moore is still deeply connected to her Trinity classmates. A group of Trinity women, many of them Spurs Sorority alumnae, have met annually for more than 20 years. Organized by the late Kay Smith Jordan ’64, the group used to gather at Mo-Ranch until the hills there made it inaccessible for some of the group. Now they meet in Belton, Texas, and spend the weekend there together.

“We travel and have done a lot of fun things together. Several of us even went to Guatemala,” Moore shares. “With Trinity being a smaller school, you have more interaction with your professors and with other students. Your friendships last a long time.”

As she looks forward to attending her 60th class reunion at Alumni Weekend 2025 along with her son, Trenton ’95, who is traveling in for his 30th class reunion, she is excited to see how Trinity’s campus has changed.

“This will be the first reunion I’ve been to since my 25th,” Moore believes. “I went back to Trinity to help my son move in, and we’ve attended the Christmas Concert in Laurie Auditorium. This will be my first time exploring beyond those parts of campus, though. Everything changes, as it should, so I can’t wait to see it all. It’ll be a trip down memory lane for me.”

While campus may have changed, Moore’s appreciation of Trinity hasn’t wavered. A proud Trinity True donor, Moore has made a gift to Trinity for 15 consecutive years.

“Trinity is a well-respected university. I actually think having a degree from Trinity University got me a couple of my teaching jobs. That name carries a lot of weight,” Moore says. “I believe in Trinity, and I feel like we should do everything we can to help people who need financial aid to attend Trinity because it is an enormous opportunity to get that kind of quality education.”

With Moore’s granddaughter now a senior in high school, she says there is a possibility that her family may soon boast four generations of Trinity alumni.

“We send Trinity a new Tiger every 30 years or so. I was the fourth Trinity graduate in my family; we are now up to nine. I guess we bleed maroon,” she laughs. “There is no better choice than Trinity.”