Elizabeth Blackwell Award
Elisabeth Luce Moore
Elisabeth Luce Moore, born to missionary parents in Shandong, China, was active in philanthropic and educational organizations. She dedicated herself to the development of women and the advancement of education.
During World War II, Moore served as chair of the Nation Council of the USO, developing services for the men and women of the armed forces. In 1951, she was the American delegate to the first International Conference of Women to take place in post-war Germany. She also served on the National Board of the YWCA.
Moore had a long-time interest in education, serving on the boards of the Asia Foundation and the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia. As chair of the Institute of International Education, Moore helped to introduce the Fulbright Act of 1946. Moore served her alma mater, Wellesley College, as a trustee from 1948-1966 and was later named trustee emerita. She was the first woman to serve as board chair of the State University of New York.
In honor of Moore’s dedication to women’s leadership in the nonprofit sector, the Institute of International Education founded The Elisabeth Luce Moore Leadership Program for Chinese Women, which provides training for Chinese women in community-based, non-profit organizations. Her other honors include the Order of the Brilliant Star from China and a medal from the National Institute of Social Sciences. She held honorary degrees from several colleges and universities, including Columbia, Duke and Princeton.
She retired in 1999 after 63 years on the board of the Henry Luce Foundation, founded by her brother. Three years later, Moore, 98, died at her home in Manhattan.