Ed Moran

Interview Description

Oral History Interview with Ed Moran
Edward "Ed" Moran was born in 1947 and raised in a small town of Pennsylvania. At age twenty in 1968, he sailed to Europe for a four-month tour of the continent. Moving to New York City later that year, he lived in Manhattan until 1974. After moving to Brooklyn, he joined a theatrical company that performed at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church. In 1976, he formally became a member of the church. He became an Elder with the Session of the church a year later and, after less involvement in the church for much of the 1980s, he joined the Session again from 1989 to 1991. Writing for a living, Moran is recognized as the unofficial historian of Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church; knowledgeable about the church's mid-nineteenth century origin and subsequent decades, and equipped with first-hand observations of the 1970s through the 2000s.

In this second of three interviews, Edward "Ed" Moran begins with his recollections of Reverend George Knight and the creativity and sense of community that Moran enjoyed at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church. He looks at the the social justice mission of the church through the lens of the More Light Presbyterians coalition that began at the church in 1979 with little difficulty. He examines how More Light was reaffirmed in the early 1990s with some challenges by those affected by a Religious Right ideology. Moran cites this same period as a time of upheaval in the church's functionality because of the Reverend Knight's personal troubles, his swift resignation, and an ensuing chaotic three-year period of four interim pastors. The details of that period were expected to be part of the follow-up oral history. While recording, Moran requested that some thoughts on Rev. Fred Davie be redacted. Two minutes late in the first hour have been cut. Interview conducted by Hillel Arnold.

The Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Our neighbors series features a broad range of narrators. Most are not well-known public figures but are well-known to their neighbors. This ongoing, extensive series focuses on Brooklyn history and the experiences of these narrators document national and international history as well. The interviews include people from diverse backgrounds making observations or sharing recollections about the growth and condition of several neighborhoods within Brooklyn. Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, and Fort Greene were heavily represented as of 2017. The oldest narrator in this collection was born in 1927.

Citation

Moran, Edward, Oral history interview conducted by Hillel Arnold, November 26, 2008, Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Our neighbors, 2008.031.5.017; Brooklyn Historical Society.