carlton-moore_web.jpgFORT LAUDERDALE — More than 2,500 family, friends, old classmates, elected officials and business leaders gathered at New Mount Olive Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale Monday to say goodbye to former Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Carlton Bradley Moore.  “He was relentless.

There was no quit in him. He did everything fully and got it done,” said Keith Allen, director of the Lou Rawls Center for the Performing Arts at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens.

Moore died early morning April 2 from a stroke he suffered last Christmas Day. He was 60. Speakers reflected on the activism that marked Moore’s life even from childhood. He was one of the first eight blacks to attend Rock Island Elementary School. As a teenager, he organized a demonstration that led to black students being allowed to take part in extracurricular activities at Fort Lauderdale High School. He became a founding member of the Black Student Union at Broward College and went on to become president of the Fort Lauderdale Branch of the NAACP.

Broward County District 9 Commissioner Dale Holness and Roosevelt Walters, former president of the NAACP branch, recalled their days with Moore in the civil rights organization. Both said they joined the group because of him.

 “Carlton is the reason I joined the NAACP,” said Walters. “After that, we became a team and continued to be a team.” Holness, Walters and Floyd Johnson emphasized the role he played in opening doors for African Americans. Johnson said it was through Moore’s encouragement that he sought and got the job as administrator of Broward County, the first black to hold that position.

Moore, speakers said, continued advocating for blacks when he was elected to the Fort Lauderdale City Commission’s District III seat, remaining in the position for 20 years.

“He was a leader before he was elected,” Holness said. His most noted achievement on the commission was his efforts to revitalize the historic Sistrunk Boulevard.

Moore’s son Forrest was among those who paid tribute to him. “A man is someone who raises his children, provides for his children and loves his children,” Forrest Moore said.

A touching moment came when Forrest Moore paused before his grandmother Ada Moore after leaving the podium and they comforted each other on the loss of a father and a son.

Other speakers also described the role Moore played in their lives. “Carlton was such a powerful individual,” said Kennith Gibbs. “He had a gift. I thank God for making him part of my life.”