Parker Moore remembered through music, Memorial Run
Doug and Julee Moore hold hands at the finish line at “Parker’s Run” in May 2015.
September 28, 2016
Registration for the annual Parker Archie Moore 3.5 Memorial Run/ Walk on Oct. 2 closes at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 30 and one wildcat is not about to forget the life and legacy of his teammate and friend.
Andy Nelson, a senior football player, rose to local stardom after creating Linfield College’s own “Catdome” rap last year. The now recognizable beat has been played from the field on gameday, to the stage of Wildstock, and students across campus have learned the lyrics, adding a new element to the Linfield family.
The run, which is put on by the college as well as the McMinnville Fire and Police departments, costs $35 to participate in and starts at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2, at Maxwell Stadium. Proceeds for the event go directly to the Parker Archie Moore Memorial scholarship, which was started by Moore’s family to go to a “Linfield student who most exemplifies Parker’s outstanding character and qualities,” according to the event website. Anyone interested in participating in the event can sign up at the event’s website.
Nelson, a history major with an education minor, originally planned on becoming a teacher and coaching football after graduation, but after the release of “Catdome,” his aspirations changed.
“The song was a lot bigger than I initially thought it would be and this was when I realized that music was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Performing and being on stage was a surreal experience and it made me feel alive,” Nelson said.
Since then, Nelson has written and produced “Catdome 2.0,” every bit as catchy as the original, as well as his most meaningful song yet: “To Doug and Julee.”
“To Doug and Julee” was actually the very first song Nelson ever wrote, but it took him the last two years and many attempts to find the perfect beat.
Although Nelson said this song will forever be his favorite, he admits that it also brought back a lot that he was feeling at the time of the tragedy.
“This song was pretty tough for me to record. It brought up a lot of emotions I had tried to bury. After I finished recording the song and decided to put it out for people to hear, I actually felt a lot of anger because I spent a lot of time being angry when Parker died,” Nelson said.
This song has gained popularity quickly with over 1,000 plays on SoundCloud and countless shares on social media, as it has touched many students’ lives.
“I was just taken back to all the memories and times I had with him. For a little bit of that song it brought me back to that night. I listened to it like five times in my driveway, but it made me happy. It made me feel grateful that I was fortunate enough to know him. His parents really need to know how much their son meant to us. The world should know how much he meant to us and still does,” Ryan Ishihara, another senior Wildcat football player, said.
“The intention of the song was to make people remember Parker. A lot of people told me it made them feel sad and I feel like that was my goal. It made them remember how great Parker was,” Nelson said.
Through music, Nelson has not only brought this campus together, but has helped commemorate an important piece of the Linfield family that will never be forgotten.
Nelson’s music can be found on SoundCloud under the name “ADMIRAL.”
https://soundcloud.com/andynelson2/to-doug-julee-and-hayley