Theatre was one of Jim Moritz’s loves. In college at Indiana University, he performed with the Singing Hoosiers, the Opera Chorus, and Varsity Singers. After graduating from IU in 1962 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English, he returned to Marion High School as a teacher, and later earned his Master’s in English at IU, in 1977.
At MHS, he taught speech and English and was the Business Manager and Director of the MHS Auditorium, later named the F. Ritchie Walton Performing Arts Center. He was the sponsor and Creative Director of the Marion Booster Blocs from 1964 to 1971, averaging 600 participants a year!
He was instrumental in helping to raise $90,000 for the 1970 Marching Giants to realize a dream trip to Europe. Jim was loved and respected by his students and colleagues. Over the years, he taught English, Drama, and Tech Prep. He retired from Marion Community Schools in 2000, after teaching for 38 years.
You didn’t have to look far to see Jim’s love for the Marion community. He had the rare gift of community leadership, getting people fired up about a project and being able to organize it and carry it off. He served as chairman of the Christmas City Walkway of Lights Committee, served on the Marion Easter Pageant Board of Directors and United Way Board of Directors, was an officer and member of St. Martin’s Community Center Board of Directors, and was instrumental in helping the Marion Philharmonic Orchestra gain strength in its early years. He also served on a community committee to raise funds for Kim and Wayne Seybold to represent the United States at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada.
Marion's audiences were very familiar with his work with the Little Acorn Theater, Brag-More Musicals, and Marion Civic Theatre, for which he served as the Music Director. As the Marion Easter Pageant Musical Director, he recruited and directed a 110-piece orchestra and 550-voice choir for 13 years.