Just as his father was an avid golfer, Preston Moore, Jr. became a devoted golf enthusiast at an early age. He won the Houston Junior Golf Championship five times and, as captain of the Lawrenceville School golf team, won the 1948 Eastern Interscholastic Tournament. At age 14, Preston became one of the youngest individuals to play in a professional golf tournament when he entered the Dallas Open.

Preston attended The University of Texas at Austin (UT) where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and the Silver Spurs, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Business in 1954. He later attended the Small Company Management program at Harvard Business School.

Preston served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command. After leaving the service, he joined the family business, Wilson Stationery and Printing Company and eventually became President and Chief Executive Officer. In addition, Preston was President and CEO of Graham Realty Company.

In 1984, he served as President and Director of Wilson Industries, Inc., which specialized in oil field equipment and supplies. Called into government service during the George H.W. Bush administration, Preston was appointed and confirmed as an Assistant Secretary of Commerce and as the first Chief Financial Officer in the United States government. After leaving the Commerce Department, he entered into partnership with Tom Fatjo, Jr. in the solid waste disposal business.

He served as President and Director of Volcano Therapeutics, a start-up medical diagnostic and treatment company. Preston was a director of numerous companies including InterFirst Bank of Houston, Southwestern Drug Corporation, Wilson Business Products, Wilson Industries, TransAmerican Waste, Tanglewood Bank, and WCA Waste Corporation.

As written by Mike Tolson in the Houston Chronicle - When his selection to the Texas Golf Hall of Fame was announced, Moore, Jr.’s accidental role in the invention of the golf cart was noted. While still a teen during World War II, he was driving his Cushman scooter along a cart path at River Oaks Country Club one afternoon when a member spotted him. He came over to chat and check out Moore's scooter. That member, Dick Jackson, soon bought one for himself and modified it for use on a golf course by adding a bigger seat and a second rear wheel.

Throughout his adult life, Preston, a dedicated runner who competed in 16 marathon races, was proud of his 2:57 finish in the Houston Marathon and 3:01 time in the Boston Marathon. He was named to the President's Council on Physical Fitness during the Reagan Administration, selected Amateur Co-Captain of the 2002 Texas Cup Golf Matches, and served as Director of the Houston Golf Association. He was involved with renovation efforts at Memorial Park Golf Course in the 1990s and participated in the planned restoration of the Gus Wortham Golf Course.

Birthplace: Houston, Texas

Born: August 7, 1931

Died: December 27, 2015