by Bryan Gibel
Daily Lobo
David Moy said his son, Tim, was a great teacher, even as a child.
"He always liked to teach or explain things, whether it was to his younger sister, cousins, classmates or friends," David Moy said. "He loved to explain how things work and why, and he was very patient and would always get into a great level of detail without making things difficult to understand."
Tim Moy, an associate history professor, drowned July 22 at Kailua Beach, Hawaii, while trying to help his 12-year-old son, who was having difficulty swimming in the surf. He was 44.
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A man brought Moy and his son back to shore. His son survived, but Moy could not be revived.
He began teaching at UNM in 1993.
In 2005, he was given the Presidential Teaching Fellow award, the University's most prestigious teaching award.
Moy specialized in teaching the history of science and technology.
He was an outstanding faculty member who helped unite the history department from other parts of campus, said Patricia Risso, the department's chairwoman.
"He was like a bridge that connected us to the hard sciences, engineering and Sandia Labs," she said. "Certainly, we'll try to hire someone else to teach the history of science and technology, but we can't replace Tim. He was unique."
He was a gifted teacher who could make complicated subjects interesting and understandable, said Monica Cyrino, associate professor in classics.
"He was talking about difficult concepts, but the way he talked about them - like he knew the information from the core of his soul - made it easy for students to listen to and engage with," she said. "He loved to teach, and you could tell. Students respond to that."
Cyrino said she invited Moy to give a guest lecture in one of her classes in the mid-'90s and was impressed by his ability to captivate apathetic students.
"I've seen maybe two or three people in all my years as a student and a teacher who had that kind of rapport within a big lecture hall," she said. "I was inspired because of how good he was. Seeing him made me want to be a better teacher. I think about him, and I will think about him, every time I walk in front of a class."
Alumnus Ken Elliott said Moy's class was his favorite at the University.
"His passion for the subject and his knowledge of it were incredible," Elliott said. "I have had many great teachers at UNM, but Tim Moy was a cut above."
Christina Casaus said Moy encouraged her to major in history, a subject she might never have pursued without his advice.
"I did not see how history, the past, could be relevant to now, the present," Casaus said. "Dr. Moy helped me see how it could be. It was within the first weeks of his class that I realized my love for history and truly began to pursue it with a passion."
Moy was also a dedicated father who would do anything for his son, Luke, David Moy said.
"Luke was born three months premature and required a lot of special care growing up," he said. "Tim often took the responsibilities of shepherding Luke around to his special classes, therapies. And he did this gladly, since they were so happy just to have him after Luke's rocky start."
Moy gave his life to help his son, but his mother, Betty, said it is not the tragedy of his death but the brilliance of his life that he will be remembered by.
"People were saying that he died too young, and that it's not fair," she said. "But I just thank God for giving him to us for 44 years and for giving him so many gifts that he used for helping other people."
