Not a ‘me’ kind of guy
Former Salem businessman, longtime volunteer Gary Moffett retires from Civil Service Commission
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SALEM -- Gary Moffett isn't a "me" or "I" kind of guy.
The 84-year-old former retailer recently retired after more than 36 years on the Salem Civil Service Commission, both as a board member and clerk/secretary, lending a hand in the hiring process for nearly every current member of the city's safety forces.
That's a lot of responsibility for a three-member board, but for Moffett, it was just one more way to serve the community that became his home as a youngster, to help the community where he and his wife Wilma raised their family and operated their businesses and where they still reside.
Living a quiet life dedicated to service and volunteering -- that's the kind of guy Moffet is.
"Become involved in your community," Moffett offered as advice for young people.
He said having volunteers, people to help out where needed and people to serve, are important to a town.
Moffett came to Salem with his family in 1949 when his dad bought a men's clothing store known as the Squire Shop. The name changed to Moffett-Hone Men's Wear in 1951 and then Moffett's Men's Wear in 1959. Through a franchise connection to Bond Stores, he said "we were famous for two-trouser suits."
A 1954 graduate of Salem High School, Moffett attended Kent State University and the Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science Institute. Over the years, he honed the retail trade by attending seminars on retail management, planning and corporation banking, computer management in retail and financial giving and grants.
He bought full interest in Moffett's Men's Wear in 1976. Located at 360 E. State St. for 52 years, it moved in 2001 to 396 E. State St. and eventually closed.
At one time, Moffett and his wife were operating three retail spots in downtown Salem, with the men's store, a family shoe store called The Shoe Tree and a ladie's store called Meg's Little Shoppe.
"We had good employees who had a desire to keep the downtown alive," he said.
The downtown was a vibrant place, with shoppers walking along State Street from store to store on a Friday night, or catching a movie or bite to eat. People would come downtown on bank night, too. The merchants even sold tickets for an A-frame house as a fundraiser and to get people downtown. Today is a different time, but he commented about the current downtown group, saying "they're working really hard to try to keep the downtown viable."
Moffett served as president of the downtown merchants retail group, as a member of the Salem Community Improvement project that spearheaded the downtown revitalization, on the Salem Urban Redevelopment Commission securing grants for projects, and member of the Salem Area Industrial Commission Board.
He was chosen as Small Business Retailer of the Year in 2000 and served on other numerous boards, First Night Salem, Council of Camp Fire Girls, and American Red Cross board.
After closing his store, he continued working by helping to set up the inside of the new Walmart before it opened and then worked at Stark Memorial.
He liked helping customers and learned their likes and dislikes. The men's store had a lot of competition back in the early years, so customer service was key.
He said he found his work on the Salem Civil Service Commission both interesting and challenging. Board members and the clerk/secretary are paid positions, with the board meeting once a month. The board oversees the testing for positions in the police and fire departments, both eligibility tests for incoming officers and firefighters and promotion tests. The board also schedules medical physicals and psychological exams for candidates who make it past the written test and agility test and are being considered for hiring. The board also hears appeals for disciplinary action.
All full-time police officers and firefighters from chief down have gone through the testing process.
Moffett's daughter, Marcilee Crowell, recently stepped into his spot as clerk/secretary, a position filled by the board. He was first appointed to the board in 1984 and at one point served as chairman, a position now held by Gary Dean. Vice Chairman is Michael Eckstein. Joe Cappuzzello had been on the board but then became city service/safety director, so Moffett stayed on for two more months to fill his spot. Now Don Yeasted has been appointed to replace Moffett.
He said he'll still help out if they need him, but now he's down to just serving on the Salem Community Foundation Board of Directors and as executive board treasurer. His daughter, Melissa Costa, serves as grants coordinator for SCF. He also has a son, Gregory Moffett. His grandchildren include Ryan and Lauren Crowell, Nicholas Costa, Hailey Moffett and Hannah Moffett.
In his spare time for fun, Moffett tinkered with remote-controlled model airplanes, quipping that he "built them from scratch, flew them and crashed them."
He even built a helicopter once and still has a few model airplane kits to work on.
"I'll keep busy," he said.