Maurice Moonitz: The Consummate Professional

Maurice Moonitz began his life in Cincinnati, OH, on Oct 31, 1910, the son of an immigrant from the Baltic coast of Russia and a second-generation American mother. He was awarded a BS degree from the College of Commerce in December 1933, which was a poor time to go on the job market. A review of Maurice Moonitz' professional career shows a remarkably balanced mastery of the areas commonly emphasized in evaluations of an academic's performance. His record of scholarship in his discipline clearly was outstanding. In 1937, Moonitz commenced full-time teaching at Santa Clara University, in what is now the heart of Silicon Valley. After five years there and the completion of his PhD degree, he moved to Stanford in 1942. He returned to his triple alma mater Berkeley in 1947 after his first stint in public accounting and licensure as a CPA and remained there, except for six years on leave, until his retirement in 1978.