Luther (Asa) Moore has been named Fire Chief of the Sardis Volunteer Fire Department, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both of whom held the same office in years past.

Moore will officially take office on Tuesday, Oct. 8. He was elected in the department’s annual leadership election.

When the Sardis department was founded by a group of town residents in 1950, it was headed by Chief Ray L. Moore, Sr., the new chief’s grandfather.

Moore’s father, Ray L. “Chuck” Moore, Jr., joined the department in 1988 and was chief at various times for several years before leaving Sardis in 2022 to assume the position of Fire Chief at the Warren Fire Dept. in Warren, AR.

The new chief’s older brother, Ben Moore, was a member and a captain with the Sardis Fire Dept. for many years and is currently a firefighter with the Southaven Fire Dept.

In addition to recognizing generations of service and leadership from the Moore family, the department is preparing to celebrate its 75th anniversary.

“For three-quarters of a century, the residents of Sardis and neighboring portions of

Panola County has been receiving their fire protection from the department,” said Mayor Richard McCarty. 

“While the occasion offers a chance to reflect on many decades of service in the past, the Sardis Fire Department continues to look ahead toward new challenges and their mandate of continued innovation and excellence.”