“I can’t count the blessings that have been mine,” said 100-year-old Virginia Moats, this year’s recipient of the Anna Horton Ruby Award for Lifetime Commitment and Service.
Moats — born Oct. 3, 1912 in Chicago — is receiving this prestigious award for her dedication to Biola University’s Scholarship Fund, and her love of young people.
The Ruby awards began during Biola's 100th anniversary celebration at the first annual National Women's History Month luncheon in 2008, said Brenda Velasco, assistant director of public relations and internal communications, in an email.
These awards were started to honor Biola women that model traits and values that align with the women of the Bible and coincide with Biola’s values of truth, transformation and testimony, Velasco said.
"We were interested in young people and always were."
Virginia married her first husband, Alvin W. Kunke, in 1935. They moved to Altadena, Calif. in 1942, where Kunke practiced law and Virginia opened her first Ginny’s Bib N Tucker children’s clothing shop in Glendale. Shortly after, in 1944, Moats opened her second shop in Altadena, which included women’s wear. In 17 short years the shop grew to be 5,000 square feet.
“We were interested in young people and always were. We didn’t have children, but we loved them, and that was the reason I had the children’s store,” Moats said.
Kunke passed in 1966. He corresponded with German scientists at NASA during his life, and his collection of more than 200 books on space became a core subject of study of the Space Department at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Connecting with Biola students
Upon her husband’s death, the Ginny Bib N Tucker corporation was liquidated and Virginia moved to La Jolla, where she met her second husband, Wendell A. Moats. Moats and her husband started to attend a Bible study and heard about Biola through casual conversations.
“We had lots of friends, and some of them had children that were at Biola or were going to Biola,” Moats said.
After expressing their interest in young people, Moats’ name reached Biola, and she was soon contacted by a student concerning funding for a project.
“They were going to begin a new project and asked if we would be interested in being a part of it,” Moats said.
They were delighted to help, and thus started their ministry to college students through generous donations.
Moats Lecture Hall
After her second husband passed in 2001, Moats worked with Biola and with the vice president of Advancement, Adam Morris, to create a memorial to her husband at Biola. The memorial is the Moats Lecture Hall in the Business building.
“She just welcomed Biola into her life after her husband passed away, and it’s been a beautiful relationship that she’s had with the university,” Morris said.
Morris began working for Biola in 1990, and has dedicated his career to working in Christian college advancement by overseeing all of the fundraising for the university, which includes the developmental office, the alumni relations program, and parent relations. Upon working with Moats to build the memorial, a friendship with Moats flourished and has lasted for more than 12 years.
“She is an amazing woman who has a deep love for this university,” Morris said.
The Anna Horton award is given to women who have displayed a lifetime of commitment and service to Biola University, according to Brenda Velasco, and Virginia Moats has done just that.
Still obedient and humble
“She has a true passion to provide support through prayer, encouragement through writing personal notes to students and staff, and her financial commitments to see Biola thrive make her an exemplary candidate for this award,” Irene Neller, vice president of University Communications and Marketing, wrote in an email.
Moats has been beloved by the community for many years, and at 100 years old, she still obediently and humbly follows God.
“The older you get, the more wonderful it is because you don’t know what he’s planned for today,” Moats said.
