JOSEPH W. MORAN, ASH, BSI
Remembering An Honorable Soldier (BSI: Sir Augustus Moran, C.B.)
by Margaret Fleesak
Joseph W. Moran, ASH, An Honourable Soldier, BSI, Sir Augustus Moran, C.B.,crossed the Reichenbach on February 18, 2014 at the age of 86. For over 30 years he was a distinguished figure at Sherlockian meetings, with his deerstalker cap, cape, and beard. He’ll be remembered by many as the first person who spoke to them at the first scion meeting they attended.
Joe was a good companion and an old-fashioned gentleman. A graduate of Yale and an active alumnus, he was also on the board of his church. He had a forty-five year career as an actuary with the New York Life Insurance Company and a rich full life with a family he loved. In fact, the only reason he would miss a Sherlockian meeting was a family event. It is ironic that such a nice man shared a name with the evil Colonel Sebastian Moran, but Joe wouldn’t agree. He didn’t believe Moran was bad. He had an elaborate theory that explained away the Colonel’s villainy (something about working undercover for Mycroft Holmes who was the first spymaster), and he would defend his family’s name at every opportunity.
It’s not surprising that Joe was invited to join ASH not long after the group began to admit men. While a bit “old school” in some ways, not interested in the latest TV show or movie, he respected other people and always felt there was room in the Sherlockian world for everyone. He was an active participant in every meeting he attended. Welcoming newcomers in his low-key way and contributing to discussions from his wealth of knowledge were Joe’s fortes. He knew the Canon inside and out, always using a version with footnotes. He also kept a file on each story filled with papers he wrote or meeting handouts he’d collected. It was typical of him that he was unaware that the one on VEIL was empty until he grabbed it to take to a meeting. Everyone in the Sherlockian world knew him and respected him. Joe Moran will be greatly missed. Who will defend the Colonel now?
Editor’s Note: from the Baker Street Journal 46:3, 1996. Reprinted with permission.
