Jim Mooney

(up close and personal)

Dec. 20, 2011

Christmas is here again, so it's time for the annual update. This year, we have managed to write cards, and even bake a few cookies and hang a few lights. For more details, see our Facebook accounts or read our newest Christmas newsletter.

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• Our family history pages
• Jim's professional website at West Virginia University.
• You can also find us both on Facebook
  

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Now a little about me. You asked for it.

I was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and grew up in Ridgefield Park, NJ. As a very young child I also lived briefly in Missouri, Wisconsin, and Illinois. I attended St. Francis School in Ridgefield Park (Class of 1960), and Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, NJ (Class of 1964). I played the Sousaphone in band and was very active in the Boy Scouts (Troop 2, Ridgefield Park, in the Bergen Council, now part of the Northern New Jersey Council). I was also active in the Order of the Arrow (Oratam Lodge 484, now part of Lenapehoking Lodge). I am proud to hold the Vigil Honor from Oratam Lodge. I worked at Boy Scout Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco for seven summers (1962-1965 and 1967-1969).

At Notre Dame I helped to found the Sigma Phi Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, the National Service Fraternity (This chapter, alas, is now inactive). At Ohio State I continued APO activities as a graduate member of Alpha Iota Chapter, and was an active member of the Catholic Community at the St. Thomas More Newman Center. Presently I am chair of the advisory board for Lambda Omicron chapter.

On April 29, 1972, I had the privilege of marrying my wife, Joan Arbogast. Our wedding took place at our favorite place in all the world, Camp Agapé, near Columbus, Ohio.

Joan and I lived in Montville, New Jersey, and Merrimack, New Hampshire, before moving to Morgantown in 1979. We now live in a home  we built a few years ago on the border of Coopers Rock State Forest.

Today we are the proud parents of four daughters, and grandparents of four granddaughters and two grandsons. Our daughters are:

• Tara, married to Mark and enjoying her career as an attorney in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Tressa, mother of Asia and Lydia, now a registered nurse
  
• Alishia, mother of Will, Cheyanne, and Gabrielle, currently employed by West Virginia University
• Asonda, now living in Akron, Ohio, and working in the food industry.

Our daughters have grown and moved out, but we are far from empty-nesters. We are permanent guardians for two of our grandchildren:

Will, now a sixth grader at St. Francis Central Catholic School.	Cheyanne, now in fifth grade at St. Francis.

Will enjoys playing the drums, football, and baseball.  He is a scout in Boy Scout Troop 44 in Star City, WV.  Cheyanne's current activities include Girl Scouts and playing the clarinet.

Music is one of my favorite leisure pursuits. I play the piano and guitar and sing with the 10AM Mass group at St. John University Parish, our campus Catholic community in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. I am a member of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. I also do a lot of cooking, and I enjoy (when time permits) backpacking (we are former members of WVSTA), photography, stamp collecting, reading, golf, a little woodworking, and a variety of computer projects.

Joan and I are also interested in exploring our family history and Irish heritage. We have visited Ireland several times and have taken part in Irish Week at the Augusta Heritage Workshops in Elkins, WV. We also look forward each year to our annual St. Patrick's Day party!