Majestic

Whatever happened to David Moore?

I opened Facebook on the evening of the 4th of November to find a report that the Chillicothe Fire Department had been dispatched to the Majestic Theater. From all accounts, it was a small fire - easily dispatched - and aside from a few cases of smoke inhalation, no one or nothing was harmed.

Here is where we heave a big sigh of relief.

The Majestic Theater on East Second Street in Chillicothe is one of those irreplacable landmarks which seems to need attention almost constantly. Something that I've noted (to those who would listen) from time to time is that a fully renovated Majestic could not only be self-supporting, but, worked properly, it could draw people from outside of Ross County and provide a spark for other businesses.

I'm not the only person to think so. Enter David Moore.

More than a few years back, David recognized the potential and came up with a great idea for a fund raiser. He set out to amass the largest number of pennies ever assembled and use them to help to restore the Majestic. As I recall, the campaign made quite a splash and netted the theater quite a bit of money which was used as best as it could to help to restore the historic venue.

Were it not for the campaign, chances are that the Majestic would not have been used at all over the past couple of decades. We have David Moore to thank for that.

David is one of several media personality types (he sold advertising for the Advertiser) who have made a positive difference in the Chillicothe community. Bob Neal from WFCB leaps into my mind for what he had done for the Pump House Art Gallery. The late Bill Spahr of WBEX was a faithful Lion. Marvin Jones at the Gazette, Tennant Hoey at Telcom (eulogized recently in this blog) and countless others in Chillicothe's media "family" have been champions of various and sundry causes aimed for the betterment of the community.

Being in Texas for the past dozen years, I seldom get to experience what's going on in the old home town except by way of other eyes and ears. I often get the impression that some of the old spirit of community has been lost. The Gazette is dramatically smaller and printed out of town, the radio stations are all owned by a group called Clear Channel using mostly "personalities" who couldn't even say Chillicothe, much less claim to have been here, and as far as Channel 2 is concerned, well... let's just say that the last time I was in town, I was too busy catching up on things to even consider watching television.

So when the Fire Trucks head to the Majestic, the heart skips a beat or two, hoping that the old gal is still intact - but knowing that it will be, thanks in part to the hard work and dedication of someone who thought that it might be a good idea to collect a few pennies.

Thanks, David!


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