Polly Lou “P.L.” McAdams Moore, 66, of Dallas, died Wednesday, Oct. 17, at her home following a two-month illness.
Moore was born in Beaumont on Sept. 21, 1941, and her family moved to Dallas when she was a child. She was a graduate of Hockaday School for Girls in Dallas and Wellesley Women’s College of Massachusetts. She was formally introduced to Dallas society as a debutante in 1963, and she later was a member of the Junior League.
Moore was active in the formation of the Dallas Opera, and she founded the Dallas 500 Inc. in 1965, launching a volunteer program that has since contributed more than $12 million to the arts in Dallas.
Moore was also an actor, producer and director, and was a familiar presence in theater in Dallas and the surrounding communities. She and her former husband, C.J. Moore, were members of the board of directors for Theater 3 and served a term as joint chairs there. In 1981, P.L. Moore helped form and served as first president of the board of directors of the Society for Theatrical Artists’ Guidance and Enhancement (S.T.A.G.E.).
As a trustee of the McAdams Foundation, Moore made funds available to many of Dallas’ performing arts institutions. In 1995, she received the first Leon Rabin Standing Ovation Award from the Dallas Theatre League.
Moore was also active in Dallas County Democratic politics, principally through the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus where she participated in fundraising and voter registration drives.
Moore was preceded in death by her parents, J. Bryan and Hazel McAdams, and is survived by her daughter, Lucy Ann Moore of Dallas and Lucy Ann’s life partner, Kerri Carter.
The family will hold a private funeral after arrangements with Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home are complete, and the family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Dallas 500 Inc., to the SPCA or to www.heifer.org.
Close friends Kurt Kleinmann, Barbara Weinberger, Kristina Baker, Janic Franklin, Lou Moore and others have organized a memorial service to celebrate P.L. Moore’s life at Theatre 3 in Dallas at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, on Oct. 29.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition October 19, 2007