When Sheila Rowe Moses ’70 first locked eyes with classmate Denny ’70, ’94 MBA in their freshman English class, she knew she was looking at her future husband. “Even though he was boisterous and loud,” Sheila reflects with a laugh, “I just had some type of internal message.” Two weeks after she graduated, the two were married in San Marino.
Intending to study biology at Redlands, Sheila took a speech pathology class with “Cherry” Parker and realized communicative disorders was “just right for me.” She later earned her master’s degree at California State University, Los Angeles and spent the first 20 years of her career in hospitals, followed by 23 years in schools. “You can change lives with this profession,” she says. “I would do it all over again in a minute.”
While Denny’s father, Jesse ’37, had some influence, it was the “feel of the campus” that solidified his own decision to attend. Although he left after freshman year to work for the Pasadena Police Department, Denny remained very much a part of the U of R fabric. “I was there so often that when we announced our engagement, some of our friends had not realized I was no longer a student!”
Denny later completed his MBA in 1994 through Redlands’ Whitehead Program. “The elements I took away helped me tremendously in my jobs moving forward,” he says, which included top security management positions at Northrop Grumman and TRW.
In addition to Denny’s service as a Trustee and president of the Alumni Board, both he and Sheila were co-chairs of their 45th reunion last spring. While they have witnessed changes to the campus and student body, they are pleased that “U of R continues to maintain the same feel” they experienced. “The important things have stayed the same.”
Following a Redlands visit, Denny and Sheila began thinking about how they could ensure this opportunity for future generations. “When we seriously started talking about including the University in our estate plans, it was pretty much a slam dunk.”
While attending the 2014 Homecoming celebration, they were happy to see such diversity on campus, particularly first-generation students. “We are opening up an education to those who would not have that experience otherwise.”
The Denny and Sheila Moses Endowed Scholarship supports students in communicative disorders, honoring Sheila’s dedication to that field. “We are very grateful to Redlands, as it provided us both with a strong foundation for our careers. We’re happy to give back.”
For more information on establishing an endowed scholarship at the University of Redlands like Denny and Sheila, please contact Associate Vice President for Development Ray Watts at 909-748-8358 or ray_watts@redlands.edu.
