A heartfelt desire to give back to their alma mater has led Karen and Bruce Moore of Nashville, Tennessee, to a lifetime of extraordinary generosity to the University of Mississippi.
It all started when their oldest son, Tyler, was in middle school. The University of Mississippi alums began taking him to Ole Miss games, eager to share the university they had come to love as students in the early 1980s. Those nostalgic visits reignited their love for Ole Miss and sparked their desire to make a difference.
“Bruce suggested to me, ‘Why don’t you write a check for $500 to the university?’ Well, I wrote it for $5,000,” Karen Moore said, remembering the misunderstanding.
That check identified the Moores as alumni with a desire to support their alma mater, and soon they received a phone call from then UM Chancellor Robert Khayat proposing areas in need of private support. From there, a great friendship was formed between Chancellor Khayat and the Moores.
“It was my mistake, but it was the best mistake I’ve ever made! We have loved supporting Ole Miss in not only our resources but also in our time,” Karen Moore said. “We can see the fruits of our gifts when you give to Ole Miss, which is exciting for our family.”
Since that first gift over 25 years ago, the Moores have faithfully supported many areas of need on campus. Today, their total lifetime giving to Ole Miss exceeds $6 million.
UM Chancellor Glenn Boyce expressed gratitude for the Moores’ impact on the university.
“Karen and Bruce continue to create a lasting legacy that strengthens the very foundation of Ole Miss,” the chancellor said. “For more than 25 years, their generosity has made an extraordinary impact across so many areas of need on our campus.
“Whether they’re mentoring future leaders, supporting our athletic programs or creating innovative ways to expand global student experiences, they bring an unmatched passion to everything they touch. We are profoundly grateful for their commitment to making Ole Miss a better place for all who follow in their footsteps.”
Karen Moore, a member of Delta Gamma sorority at Ole Miss, graduated in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in applied sciences. Since then, she has served on the Ole Miss Alumni Association board (and recently as president), on the UM Foundation and the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts boards, as past chair of the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy (OMWC), as a member of the Ole Miss Parents council and on planning and steering committees for the MomentUM and Now & Ever campaigns.
Similarly, Bruce Moore joined the Sigma Chi fraternity at Ole Miss and graduated in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in managerial finance. He has served on the UM Foundation board and Parent’s Council as well as three planning and steering committees for UM campaigns.
In 2024, the couple also contributed $500,000 to the Triplett Alumni Center building fund, $500,000 to the OMWC building fund, and $250,000 to support the OMWC’s Global Leadership Circle and the Robert C. Khayat Lecture Series fund.
Most recently, in September 2024, the couple made a gift of $250,000 to the Vaught Society, a financial support program of the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation. OMAF recognized the gift by naming Gate 31 of Vaught-Hemingway football stadium in their honor.
With a Women’s Council endowment in her name, given to her as a Christmas gift from her husband, Karen Moore has enjoyed knowing her scholars and watching them flourish under the OMWC programs. She is proud of the council’s work in not only providing scholarships but also in giving guidance and counseling in leadership skills, career development, philanthropy and personal growth throughout the scholar’s tenure at the university.
“Bruce and I talk about how great it is that the OMWC mentors scholars and how we wished we could have had that type of guidance while we were at Ole Miss,” Karen Moore said. “It is impressive to know the opportunities the OMWC provides students in our program by meeting with our counselors, monthly “Red Plate” suppers, domestic and international trips and all the camaraderie that happens not only with students but also with the council members.
“Bruce and I believe that when a student works hard toward a goal, you should give them as many tools for success as possible,” she continued. “We both enjoy mentoring students and watching them succeed! In fact, we’ve been known to house a student or two while they worked an internship in Nashville. It is a wonderful way to know you have helped that student in an extraordinary way. I think it is a blessing more for us than it is for the student!”
Karen Moore took the work of the Women’s Council to the next level with her idea to establish a philanthropy program through the UM Foundation that allows donors to support students who want to study abroad or obtain an internship.
The idea came to fruition in 2017 as the OMWC established the Global Leadership Circle. From that idea, the Robert C Khayat Lecture Series was formed, featuring such speakers as Kathy Ireland, Amy Grant, Rivers Rutherford, David Magee, Dexter McCluster, JL Holloway, Bill Courtney, singer/songwriters from Nashville and more.
“It has been a way to expose students to people whom they would otherwise not have the opportunity to hear,” Karen Moore said. “So you know, all these things are the grassroots of what Bruce and I try to do. We just try to help kids have as many opportunities as they can. We believe that if you work hard, strive hard, you deserve opportunities.”
The Moores’ 2022 gift of over $1.2 million to the Vaught Society punctuates their passion for supporting not only academics at Ole Miss, but athletics as well.
“Giving to Ole Miss Athletics is exciting as we watch our sports programs flourish under AD Keith Carter,” Bruce Moore said.
The Vaught Society provides financial assistance to student-athletes in the form of scholarships, academic guidance and wellness support.
“Karen and Bruce share our vision for our student-athletes: to not only help them become the best players they can be in their respective sports but also to prepare them to become the best version of themselves, so that when they graduate, they are well positioned to succeed in their chosen career paths,” said Denson Hollis, OMAF CEO. “We greatly appreciate their avid support.”
The Moores credit their philosophy of giving to their parents.
“My father was a funeral director in Springfield, Tennessee,” Karen Moore said. “He had an incredible knack for opening up to someone else’s pain. He would be by their side from bedside to the grave. And after that, we would deliver meals to the families and be there for them in their time of need. It was intriguing to me to see his heart for that business.”
Bruce Moore’s parents were both from Columbus, Mississippi, and his father was a partner with Horne CPA in Laurel, Mississippi.
“When he had to retire from work due to a health condition prematurely, my mother went back to school to get her doctorate in nursing and became the head of a home health agency,” Bruce Moore recalled. “They both were active in their church; my dad was the volunteer accountant and my mother taught Sunday school. They both had a passion for helping others and always looked for the good in people.”
Bruce Moore has recently retired as a group president of Service Lines and Operations for HCA Healthcare, which is comprised of more than 180 hospitals and 2,400 sites of care in 20 states and in the United Kingdom. HCA Healthcare employs over 300,000 people. He started his career there in 1982 as an internal auditor.
Karen Moore is president and founder of Project Redesign, a non-profit in Nashville that provides furnishings for other non-profits and averages installations of 100 homes per year. She proudly employs an OMWC scholar, Mary Patton Murphy, as her project manager/development officer.
The couple met in the first class they took at Ole Miss. Now, 41 years of marriage later, they have three grown children, Tyler, Margaret Anne and Mitchell — all of whom attended Ole Miss — and four grandchildren. Additionally, all five of Karen Moore’s siblings and Bruce Moore’s sister attended Ole Miss.
The couple credits their affinity for the University of Mississippi to the education it provided them and their children as well as the many other Ole Miss threads — family members who are Rebel fans, UM professors and administrators past and present, connections and reconnections with classmates — that weave through their lives.
“It’s kind of our way of life,” Karen Moore said. “We live and breathe Ole Miss; we always have, and we love it.”
Bruce Moore agreed: “We love the Ole Miss community and cherish our friendships there.”
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To make a gift to the Ole Miss Women’s Council, click here or, for more information, contact Suzanne Helveston, director of development, at shelveston@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2956.
To make a gift to the Triplett Alumni Center building fund, click here or, for more information, contact Mary Kate Skelton at marykate@olemissalumni.com or 662-915-2377.
To make a gift to Ole Miss Athletics, click here, or contact Denson Hollis, CEO of the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation, at denson@givetoathletics.com or 662-915-7159.