Learn about Mooseheart's history

Gary L. Urwiler, executive director of Mooseheart Child City & School, will talk about the history and future of Mooseheart and his life there as a student and administrator at "Mooseheart - A Century of Giving" at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave.

Urwiler has been the executive director at Mooseheart since 2012. His Mooseheart experience began when he arrived there in 1981 as a 12-year-old student from New Jersey. As a high school student, Urwiler was active in the band, choir, school newspaper and athletics.

He quarterbacked the Red Rambler football team to two straight undefeated regular seasons in 1985 and 1986. Following graduation from high school in 1987, he attended Eureka College in Illinois, where he quarterbacked the undefeated Red Devils, who were ranked third in the nation in Division III and NAIA Division II.

Urwiler has held a number of positions throughout his career at Mooseheart - interim director, dean of students, athletic director, camp director, superintendent of education and principal of the Mooseheart Pre-K-12 grade school system - and as Mooseheart's head football coach for the past 16 seasons.

From 1992-95 and 2000-03, Urwiler was a teacher, coach, and administrator with West Aurora Unit District 129.

Mooseheart is a residential child care facility located just south of Batavia on a 1,000-acre campus. The Moose organization founded the home and school in 1913 to provide for the children of widows of Moose members.

More than 11,000 children have been housed and educated at Mooseheart over the past century. Today, Mooseheart is still supported by the men and women of Moose International.

The lecture is sponsored by the Batavia Public Library Foundation. Registration is required. Register online at www.BataviaPublicLibrary.org or call the library reference desk, (630) 879-1393, ext. 200.

For more information about the New Lyceum Lecture Series, visit www.BataviaPublicLibrary.org.