Jack Moseley …91-year old California entrepreneur’s love for Lake City improved quality of life in myriad of ways.
John “Jack” Moseley died at home at Hope Ranch in rural Santa Barbara, California, on August 2, 2018 after a multi-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 91.
Moseley profoundly loved Lake City and the upper Lake Fork Valley, and, conversely, had a profoundly beneficial impact on Lake City as a result of his philanthropic largess to nearly every non-profit organization within the community.
At his death, the Moseley name is recalled in Lake City Medical Center’s Moseley Health Care Complex on Henson Street, as well as Lake City Arts’ Moseley Arts Center in the Hough Block in downtown Lake City.
In 1990, he and his second wife, Kathleen Cameron Moseley, built a log home on acreage in Weems Malter Placer Subdivision on the upper Lake Fork above Dawn of Hope Bridge. The riverside seasonal residence included a glass blowing studio and, best yet, a tranquil pond beneath towering cottonwood trees where Jack propagated sizeable trout and from the shore piloted miniature remote-control boats which he built.
The Moseleys continued to divide their time between Lake City on both summer and winter visits, and their Santa Barbara home overlooking the Pacific Ocean until 2015 when Jack was no longer able to return due to his declining mental and physical condition.
He remained at home cared for by his wife and hospice staff until his death earlier this month.
Per his request, no memorial services are planned. A portion of his ashes will be returned to Lake City later this fall, with portions scattered on Round Top Mountain overlooking the upper Lake Fork Valley and Lake City, part at the pond near the Moseley home, and the remainder on the beach at Hope Ranch.
The family suggests memorials to the medical center, arts center, Lake Fork Valley Conservancy or favorite Lake City organization.
John Arbuckle Moseley was born to William and Helen Moseley in Springfield, Illinois, on August 8, 1926. Jack had two sisters, Margaret Moseley Krade and Mary Moseley Woolsey, and a brother, Bill Moseley, all of whom are now deceased.
Jack attended Purdue University in 1943 and 1944, and was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
He then went in to the U.S. Army Signal Corps 1944-1946 before moving with his family to Santa Barbara in 1947. He earned a BE in electrical engineering in 1947 and an MS in physics in 1951, both from the University of Southern California.
Jack worked 1951-1953 at Raytheon Manufacturing Company in Point Mugu, California, from 1953 to 1955 at Lear Inc., Santa Monica, California, before returning to Santa Barbara in 1955 to work as Director of Engineering for D&R Limited.
He was a pioneer in radio and television broadcasting. In 1959 he founded a company in his garage, Moseley Associates, Inc., which was dedicated to the research and development of remote control equipment for the radio and TV industry. He was the first to develop a wireless audio link between radio stations and mountaintop transmitters, one of the first being used by Santa Barbara station KTMS-FM.
As the business expanded, it rapidly outgrew Jack’s garage, first relocating to a commercial/ manufacturing office on Nogal Drive in Santa Barbara. In 1967, Jack broke ground on a 10,000-s.f. facility in Santa Barbara Research Park, moving his company with 35 employees to the new facility in 1968.
Moseley Associates, Inc., expanded into remote control systems, FM exciters, stereo generators, subsidiary communication generators, digital control systems and satellite earth station control systems. By the time of his retirement in 1977, Moseley Associates had grown to over 130 employees. The company was sold to Flow-General of McLean, Virginia. Moseley Associates is still in existence today and headquartered in Goleta, California.
Jack served on the board of the Santa Barbara Cancer Foundation 1981-1983 and as its chairman from 1983 to 1985.
He was a charter member of the La Cumbre Country Club and a past president of the Hope
Ranch Home Owners Association.
In August, 1949, Jack married Laureen “Laurie” Zener Moseley and they had two children, Mark Moseley and Linda Moseley Story.
Laurie Moseley died from cancer in 1979.
Jack’s second wife was Kathleen Cameron whom he met through mutual friends. Following marriage in September, 1980, the couple’s shared interests included swimming, golf, and tennis, as well as travel.
It was the shared interest of golf and travel which brought the Moseleys to Crested Butte, Colorado, in 1988 to enroll in summer golf school. They had never heard of Lake City, although all that changed during conversations with fellow golf students. Kathy’s golfmates included a woman from Lake City, Kay Ringold, while Jack’s flight of avid golf students included Kay’s husband, Larry Ringold.
The Lake Citians talked non-stop about the glories of their summer paradise, in the process intriguing the Moseleys who promised a visit prior to returning to California.
It was love at first sight, according to the smitten Californians, and they immediately acquired a riverside lot in Weems Malter Placer Subdivision. Jack worked with Bob Matthews of locally-based Mountain View Technical Services to design a home with expansive stream and mountain views which was built by John Gill and Chris Bohnsack in 1989-90.
The Moseleys were introduced to a wider range of spectacular mountain views as members of the Lake City 4-Wheelers jeep club. Jack was a clarinet musician in Santa Barbara’s community Prime Time Band and it was only natural that he also played clarinet in Durell Thompson’s inaugural Lake City Stinger Band. The couple’s other local interests included hiking, fishing, cross country skiing, entertaining friends, and viewing the foliage colors each fall.
Jack also had a life-long fascination as an amateur HAM radio operator.
The Moseleys became acquainted with a wide spectrum of Lake City residents, including Lake City Medical Center’s Nancy Zeller, Mary Stigall of the then-newly formed Lake City Arts, and Grant Houston and Carol Carey Perry, the latter also an intrepid jeep club member, of Hinsdale County Museum.
Also fortuitous was Jack’s chance meeting in the early 1990s with Lake City glassblowing artisan Dave Jordan. Dave, who was then operating JAM Gallery in a portion of the now-demolished Swanson Building, was new to the glassblowing craft and specialized primarily in creating beads and jewelry. For his part, Jack Moseley had received training from professional glassblower John Burton dating back to the 1960s and set up small glassblowing studios in his homes in both Santa Barbara and Lake City. He specialized in classic clear laboratory glass into which cobalt oxide (blue), titanium (white), and cadmium (yellows and red) were judiciously added.
Jack’s glassblowing production at that date, according to Jordan, consisted of “beautiful little bud vases” measuring 12” to 16” tall as gifts to friends and family.
Recognizing kindred glass-crafting spirits, Dave introduced Jack to the art of bead-making, while Jack shared laboratory glass techniques with Dave, a direct result of which was Jordan’s unique glass oil lamps. Jack began to create glass beads which were fashioned for acquaintances into colorful bracelets and necklaces.
As Jack’s health began to fail in recent years, he ceased glassblowing and gave his Lake City tools and equipment to Jordan who still uses them on a daily basis at is his new 420 Gunnison Avenue gallery and glassblowing studio.
Through their mutual acquaintances in Lake City, Jack and Kathy became aware of the critical needs of underfunded Lake City non-profit organizations, among them the medical center and arts center.
Jack’s son, Mark Moseley, says his father was most passionate about creating an advanced, state-of-the-art medical facility and worked hard to see it built.
According to Nancy Zeller, Jack initially contributed $25,000 for plans to enlarge Lake City Area Medical Center on Henson Street. Exasperated with the slow pace of improvement — and wishing to see the project completed during his lifetime — he contributed additional funds for an expansion project which was spearheaded by the medical center board and Ray Blaum as project manager.
“Jack shared his success on projects which benefited people throughout the Lake City region,” says Zeller. “The end result,” she adds, “was making life easier and more enjoyable not only for visitors to our region but also profoundly impacting the lives of our year-round residents.”
From his home in Norfolk, Virgina, Ray Blaum fondly recounts his years in Lake City and his work as project supervisor on the new medical center. He says the Moseleys arrived in Lake City at a time of economic upswing and contributed to the town’s growth through their participation and financial support aimed at benefiting the area’s quality of life.
He bluntly states that today’s modern, 10,400-s.f. medical facility “would not have happened without Jack’s support.”
During the process of construction, “Jack was always asking, ‘do you have enough money to do this or that?,’ and he would provide it,” says Blaum.
Blaum emphasizes that both Moseleys were unpretentious in their financial support of the medical center and other local non-profit initiatives. “Both the medical center and arts center are very appropriately named after them,” says Blaum, “as a testament and memorial to their active participation and involvement in community improvement.”
In addition to the medical center complex on Henson Street, Lake City Arts’ Moseley Arts Center in the Hough Block also recalls the dedication of the Moseleys and other benefactors who were determined to provide a state-of-the-art facility for the performing arts in Lake City.
Moseley’s financial support of the arts center began soon after Lake City Arts made the decision to purchase the historic Hough Block in downtown Lake City and at a time when work was proceeding full throttle to develop the ground floor, 93-seat theater named in honor of arts council founder Mary Stigall.
The Moseleys were among the principal contributors to the $670,000 theater which was formally dedicated in July, 2009.
Asked to comment on Jack’s passing, Lake City Arts’ President Dan Wampler states the following:
“It is a rare occurrence when one man can have such an impact on a community and its people. Through his unselfish giving and his vision of the Moseley Arts Center, Jack allowed the Lake City’s arts community to flourish and have an impact on our local community and our summer visitors.”
“It was always a joy to see Jack and Kathy grace our doors to enjoy a concert or a play because they could see first-hand the fruits of their giving. We honor his legacy and will miss his presence at Lake City Arts.”
In addition to Moseley Arts Center and Moseley Health Care Complex, Jack Moseley was also a significant patron to a wide variety of other Lake City organizations. He contributed funds for the perimeter fence at Hinsdale County Museum and was among contributors to the museum’s Transportation Building which was constructed 2007-08; both Jack and Kathy, the latter through Nichols Foundation which was established by Kathy’s grandparents, gave significant contributions to Hinsdale County School District which were used by the district to purchase computers for the school students, upgrade classrooms, the upper grades’ Washington, DC, trips, and students’ travel for conferences.
They also contributed at various times to Hinsdale County Emergency Medical Services, donating funds for purchase of the Med 93 vehicle; rescue tools for Lake City Fire/Rescue; and, in fall last year, donated a 58-tract of land on the toe of the Slumgullion Slide to Lake Fork Valley Conservancy.
Jack Moseley extensively hiked and skied over portions of the Slumgullion Slide and was so impressed with natural aspects of the land that he donated it to the conservancy with the explicit request that it be preserved in its natural state in perpetuity.
Contacted at her Santa Barbara home, Kathy Moseley refers to her treasured memories of the days which she and Jack spent in Colorado.
“Hopefully we gave something back,” she says, “although we took back much, much more.”
Jack Moseley’s survivors are his wife, Kathy Cameron Moseley, Santa Barbara, and his two children from his first marriage, Mark Moseley and his wife, Cathy, of Santa Barbara, and Linda Moseley Story, Southern California, and her husband, Zach.
In addition to his two children, Jack has three grandchildren, Michael, Amanda and Sarah Moseley.
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