News 6 Story

JOUR 2410-503 Dec. 6 News 6

The smell of tacos and steamed tamales filled the air of a

ranch house in Baird, Texas. Texas Tech football was on TV, as

family and friends gathered for lunch.

On her way to the kitchen, a mother of two stopped in front

of the TV and began to cheer and yell wildly with her family.

Shortly after, in a booming voice, she announced that it was

time to eat.

That voice belongs to Susan Moore, Prosperity Bank manager

in Abilene, Texas. She said she has enjoyed her 32 years in the

bank industry, and is most satisfied working with her employees.

“I’m one of the kinds of managers that enjoy her employees,”

Moore said. “I view them as my family.”

Moore said she runs the bank like her home. Her main duties

are to watch over the bank-teller staff, and the personal-banker

staff. She must enforce federal regulations and procedures that

enable the bank to run as smooth as possible.

Yet, Moore said she manages to build great camaraderie with

her employees.

“As long as I’ve been a manager, I have always felt like it

was my responsibility to grow them,” Moore said.


The tight-knit relationship among employees is not to be

mistaken for a weak work environment. In fact, a former employee

of Moore’s explained that Moore was required to maintain a

strict, corporate workplace.

Chris Huffman and Moore worked together at a Bank of America

in Abilene, Texas, in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Huffman

described Moore as engaging, fair, and a joy to work for. She

said Moore was required to carry out unpopular regulations Bank

of America imposed on employees.

“She seems to really care about her employees, and some of

the decisions she had to make where tough on her,” Huffman said.

“She still made them with her employees’ well-being in mind.”

Huffman, who now has a photography studio, said although she

did not enjoy the corporate bank industry, she did enjoy working

for Moore. She said when she was disgruntled with Bank of

America, Moore helped her find employment elsewhere.

Moore said the banking industry has changed over the years.

She said it has become sales driven, and there is a lack of

emphasis on customer service, especially in the big corporate

banks.


“I’m not your normal banker,” Moore said, “I’m not one of

those car salesmen, never have been and never will be. It is

always about taking care of you.”

Moore grew up on a ranch in Cottonwood, Texas. She said she

comes from a loving family that values hard work. Moore explained

that both her parents worked all the time. Her father was a

banker, and her mother worked nights as a nurse.

“My mother would watch us all day until my daddy came home,

and then sleep for four hours, before going into work,” Moore

said. “My dad believed everybody should work hard.”

Moore said at the age of ten, she and her 12-year-old

brother helped her father fence 600 acres of land. She said her

work ethic comes from her parents, and she has never been scared

of hard work.

In fact, Moore said she owns a chainsaw, because loves to

cut wood, a chore she had to do as a child.

“I said when I leave home, I will never build fence again

and I will never cut wood,” Moore said. “You can’t take the

country out of a kid I guess.”

Moore also enjoys making scrapbooks, hiking, and reading.


Family has been an important part of Moore’s life since she

was a child, and she said her parents influenced here the most.

Moore said she wanted to be the one to take care of them when

they reached an elderly age. With the help of her husband she did

just that.

Leo Moore is a nurse, and he takes care of patients in

recovery. Moore said Leo is her best friend. They are high-school

sweethearts, and have been married for 31 years. He and Moore

have two children together. Wendell is their 29-year-old son, and

Whitney is their 27-year-old daughter.

Moore said her father’s death four years ago was the most

traumatic event in her life. Besides helping her cope with the

pain, Moore credited Leo with making her father’s last moments on

Earth as comfortable as possible. She said she really appreciates

the compassion Leo had for her and her father.

“My dad had Parkinson disease, and was sick for about two

years. We kept my daddy every other weekend so my mother could

get a break,” Moore said, “and Leo bathed him and checked

everything. We made the last years of my dad’s life very

graceful, and I would contribute that to Leo.”

Leo said the experience was humbling for him. He said

Moore’s father was independent and a strong role model. Leo said


it was hard for him and his wife to watch her father’s body

deteriorate.

“It was hard to watch him lose his independence,” Leo said.

“It was difficult for Susan, and it felt like he was slipping

through our fingers.”

Leo said he was there to comfort Moore through this tough

period of her life. He said it was difficult for the both of

them, but together they found a way to happily let her father go.

Former employee Huffman said she has met Moore’s family and

described them as nice, welcoming people. She said Moore

regularly invited employees to family gatherings. Huffman said

her and Moore try to have lunch together monthly with other

former Bank of America employees.

Moore said her experience in the banking industry has been a

blessing. People in difficult situations have opened up and

shared issues with Moore that they are not willing to share with

anyone else. She said that is the most rewarding part of her job.

“One of the best things I get out of my job, is customers

will come in, and they will be hurting, and I know God has sent

them to me,” Moore said. “They will open up to me, where they

don’t talk to anybody else, and that has been the most

rewarding.”


Moore said her strong relationship with her family and her

passion for her job has enabled her to enjoy life. She cherishes

and appreciates the opportunity to make a living by helping

others.

“My mission in life is every day I say, Lord let me be your

instrument,” Moore said.

News 6 Story

Documents

Transcript of News 6 Story