Be Moore, Do Moore, Get More out of Life
Chicago area natives and former Wisconsin basketball players Michael Finley, Tracy Webster and Rashard Griffith escorted Howard Moore onto the court in a ceremony that honored him and his family last weekend in Madison. Photo by Jeff Miller courtesy of UW-Madison Office of Communications.
Life can change in an instant. One second you are traveling in a car with your wife and children, the next you are being rammed head on by a drunk driver, thus changing your life forever. That is what happened to former Taft High School standout Howard Moore and his family during the early morning hours of May 25, 2019. The crash took the lives of Moore’s wife Jennifer and daughter Jaidyn. Moore and his family were honored at the University of Wisconsin over the weekend, where he played college basketball and was serving as an assistant coach at the time of the tragedy,
I played in the same co-ed softball league with Jennifer back in Chicago. While she wasn’t on my team, most of us who played in the league all hung out together after the games in Washington Park to socialize and have a good time. I remember her as a fun person who played hard for her team, and was cool to break bread with afterwards.
I have twice escaped possible death from a car collision. The first time occurred on August 17, 2018 when I was stopped at a redlight with a car in front of me. All of a sudden, I can hear the roaring of an engine, and see headlights barreling towards me. With no good options, all I could do was brace myself for impact and slightly turn my car at an angle so I wouldn’t absorb the full energy of the crash that was sure to come. That one instant decision perhaps saved me from serious injury or death. My car, which I had just paid off, was demolished, the car in front of me heavily damaged, the car driven by the intoxicated 20-something female motorist was also wrecked. She had been out celebrating her birthday earlier in the night and had a blood alcohol level over twice the legal limit. I escaped with some minor bruises but had to undergo therapy to completely heal from the mental trauma the incident caused.
Escaping death has a profound effect on your life. You hug your loved ones just a little bit tighter and longer. You get right spiritually quick. You make sure your affairs are in order and your life insurance is paid up. You try and make amends with those you have wronged, and perhaps forgive some who have aggrieved you in the past. However, the biggest impact is you start to live life to its fullest. Realizing you can lose it all in an instant makes you want to start doing all you can and all you have been putting off right at that moment. It is a tricky road to be on, trying to find the right balance of planning for your long-term existence and living life in present.
Africa had long been a wish of mine. My wish came true back in November of 2023 when I traveled to Ghana with my wife. Unfortunately, near-death reared its ugly head again when the driver hired by the tourism company, we had hired decided it would be a great idea to play a game of chicken with a police car that had its lights and siren activated along a two-lane highway at 110 kmph. We averted disaster by merely a few meters at which I had a stern one-way conversation with the driver and owner of the company who was sitting in the passenger’s seat next to him.
Wisconsin Assistant Coach Howard Moore is pictured here with his family, wife Jennifer, son Jerrell and daughter Jaidyn during happier times. Photo courtesy of UW-Madison.
Seeing Moore this weekend being pushed in a wheelchair by former Wisconsin star Rashard Griffith as thousands cheered in support, rehashed the nightmares of my own flirtation with catastrophe. Moore was seriously injured in the crash and suffered a heart attack during his recovery, partly due to the physical injuries, but one could also safely assume the mental and emotional toll of losing Jennifer and Jaidyn were contributing factors.
Despite what he has been through, Moore is showing us the grit that most Chicagoans have. He is continuing to live and fight every day to get better and live his life the best he can. Perhaps he gets inspiration from his son Jerrell, who miraculously survived the crash as I did with only minor injuries, but is still scarred by the loss of his mom and sister.
Still having to be a father is a motivation for Moore, according to several friends and family members. It is what pushes him through what has to be extremely painful physical therapy days. His son and a yearn to return to coaching in some capacity is his motivation to keep on living, to show his life still has purpose and meaning. Living for others along with our own personal desires should motivate us all.
The 23-year-old female driver of the car that killed Moore’s family, also died in the collision herself. She didn’t get a chance to make amends as justice weighed down upon her instantly. As for the woman who injured me, she has thrived in the past few years. After being held accountable for her actions in criminal and civil proceedings, she has opened her own business and is leading what I consider an honorable life. She survived one of the biggest mistakes of her life. That too should be an inspiration for us all.