Darla Moore Known For Breaking Gender Barriers

Busting into an all-boys club has never been a problem for Darla Moore.

The Wall Street wizard with rich Southern roots made a name for herself in the male-dominated world of finance as executive vice president of one of the largest private investment firms in the United States. She was the first woman featured for a cover story by Fortune magazine in 1997, and at one point, she was the only woman on the board of trustees at her alma mater, the University of South Carolina.
Moore broke another gender barrier Monday when the exclusive Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the Masters tournament each year, asked her and former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to become its first women members.

"Augusta National has always captured my imagination, and is one of the most magically beautiful places anywhere in the world, as everyone gets to see during the Masters each April," Moore said in a statement.

Moore, 58, rose to prominence in the 1980s with Chemical Bank, where she became the highest-paid woman in the banking industry. She is vice president of Rainwater Inc., a private investment company founded by her husband, Richard Rainwater, whose net worth was $2.3 billion as of March, according to Forbes magazine.

She has served on a number of corporate, medical and university boards, but she is perhaps best known in South Carolina as a philanthropist. Moore is the top donor to the University of South Carolina, pledging $75 million since 1998, when the business school was named after her. She also donated $10 million to her late father's alma mater, Clemson University.

Much of her philanthropy is done behind the scenes, as she eschews the spotlight. She declined an interview request for this article, instead choosing to release a short statement.

"She loves to do her work under the radar. It's the people around her she wants to highlight and put out there. She doesn't want it to be about her," said Jim Fields, the executive director of the Palmetto Institute, a nonprofit research group Moore founded in 2002 that is committed to improving South Carolinians' economic well-being.

Moore is known for her ability to get things done, whether it's raising money or making decisions in the board room. Fortune called her the "the toughest babe in business" in 1997.

"She's very direct in her thoughts and opinions and doesn't mind telling you, and she's extraordinarily proud of her roots in South Carolina and Lake City," Fields said.

Culled from Associated Press (AP)