This building and its collection of bird and mammal specimens were a gift in 1951 of Dr. Robert T. Moore and Margaret C. Moore as trustees of the Orcutt and Margaret Trust.

Robert T. Moore was born in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and later with his wife lived in Monson, Maine, before moving to Pasadena in the 1940s. As an ornithologist and professor of vertebrate zoology, from 1951 until his death Dr. Moore was on the Occidental faculty with the title of Research Associate and Director of the Moore Laboratory of Zoology. He was also affiliated with the California Institute of Technology as a research associate professor.

As an explorer and mountain climber, he led ornithological expeditions to Mexico and South America. As an author he published extensively in scientific publications and books. He became a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society (London) and of the American Geographic Society.

In addition to his scientific expertise, Dr. Moore had a keen interest in poetry and founded a program known as Poetry Awards that made annual awards to poets and published an anthology. Dr. Moore received the Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1903, and the Master of Arts from Harvard University in 1904. In 1949, Occidental conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Science upon him. He died in October 1958, at the age of seventy-six, with his wife following him in death a few weeks later.

By Jean Paule