One Moore accolade: Family book honors memory of late civic leader
By Bill Reynolds
La Conner Community News
His forte is building things, which often takes the form of custom woodworking, but in recent months Jesse Stewart has branched out with an ambitious new project in another medium.
Stewart, 36, of Guemes Island, last October traded his familiar tools of the trade for digitization gear to compile a 200-page hardback volume honoring the memory of one of La Conner’s more remarkable native sons and civic leaders.
The subject of Stewart’s biographical tribute, which features a vast collection of photogrphs, news clippings, postcards and related correspondence, school yearbook pages and professional awards — all artfully laid out — is his grandfather, the late Leon M. “Bud” Moore.
Moore, who in his lifetime was a two-term mayor of La Conner, energetic president of the local Chamber of Commerce, collegiate rowing champion, avid distance runner, and U.S. Air Force officer and pilot, among other pursuits, died May 12, 2025, at age 93.
“This is grandpa’s life during the Analog Era,” Stewart writes in longhand for the preface of the book, entitled “One Moore Photo.”
By any measure, Moore, known for his gentle wit and love of history, lived a full life, one that took him and his family far beyond La Conner and then back.
Stewart captures much of it in great detail from the treasure trove of materials he happened upon while helping his grandma, Lynn Moore, remove clutter from her basement shortly after Bud Moore’s passing.
What he found stored away were invaluable links to the past, including hundreds of 35 mm film slides and an old Fuji film projector. Stewart immediately knew he was on to something special.
At his fingertips, both then and through subsequent research, were the defining moments of Bud Moore’s life: his youth in La Conner; his high school years in Athens, Greece (where his father, the legendary Milo Moore, was tasked with rebuilding Greek fisheries after World War II); his time as a top oarsman at the University of Washington; and his marriage to Lynn, which brought the births of their three daughters.
Stewart discovered mementoes, as well, from Moore’s U.S. Air Force service, which spanned missions in the Vietnam War, flights carrying Apollo astronauts, and a stint teaching aerospace studies at the University of Oklahoma.
In addition, Stewart came across keepsakes from Moore’s active retirement in La Conner beginning in 1979.
Among many gems, Stewart discovered photos taken during Moore’s global travels and at his various duty stations.
“Grandpa had a lot of pictures of people. They’d pose for him,” Stewart said.
Stewart initially planned to develop a standard coffee table photo book. Before long, though, it grew into a more comprehensive account that took more than 500 hours over seven months to complete.
He painstakingly acquainted himself with the scanning equipment — some borrowed, some purchased — that allowed him to digitize material used in the book.
Still, for Stewart, it was a true labor of love.
“Building things is what I like doing,” he noted.
And that has come to include building a book that his family will forever cherish.
“I have treasured every moment of this journey,” Stewart shares in the “One Moore Photo” preface, “and I want to say thank you to grandpa Bud, for his passion and photography has made this book what it is today.
“Creating this book has deepened my love and appreciation for both grandpa and grandma,” Stewart continues.
Stewart stealthily prepared “One Moore Photo” for family members, surprising them with their copies this month.
Lynn, who was married to Bud for nearly 70 years, is beyond thrilled with Stewart’s finely crafted finished product.
“I couldn’t believe how much work Jesse put into it,” she said of the book. “It’s just amazing.
“Of course,” she added, casting a knowing glance, “the person who would most appreciate seeing this is Bud.”
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
