Ruth Barber and David Moon, who met while they were both teachers in the Midview Local School District of Lorain County, Ohio. Moon taught English and history to high schoolers, while Barber, who has since passed away, taught English to junior high school students.

In 1949, David Moon left his family farm near Florence, Ohio, for what is now Case Western Reserve University. 

Moon was the first in his family to attend college, and beyond the $10 his father was able to spare, he was on his own to pay for it. A church scholarship funded his undergraduate tuition, and hours spent working in the campus library helped cover the rest. 

“I had a wonderful experience,” said Moon (ADL ’53; GRS ’64, history). “My scholarship enabled that. I couldn’t have attended without it.” 

Now, more than 75 years after Moon’s journey with the university began, he has committed $1 million from his estate for both undergraduate and graduate scholarships at the College of Arts and Sciences.

The commitment will be divided, half to establish the Ruth M. Barber and George David Moon Undergraduate Scholarship Fund and the other half designated for the Ruth M. Barber Endowment Fund. The latter was established in 1992 by Moon’s late wife, Ruth M. Barber (GRS ’42, chemistry), to support graduate students at the college. 

“I think about the university often and have a lot of pleasant memories of my years there,” Moon said. “I owe a great debt to the university for the education I got, so if I have the means to give, I want to do it to show my appreciation.”