photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph Greg Moody of Big Sandy has walked every street in Tyler twice. He's pictured walking Cedar Street in Tyler Tuesday Feb. 3, 2015 which is the first street he walked after buying a house their in 1989. Moody is interested in sociology and has taught at several area colleges including Texas College.

Greg Moody, a retired educator, walks Tyler streets in every kind of weather imaginable.

“I walk when it’s 105 degrees; I walk when it’s 15 or 20 degrees. If it’s raining, I get an umbrella and walk. I walk in high wind sometimes when it almost blows me over,” he said.

“I believe in doing things in a self-disciplined way. The only way you are going to benefit yourself is through regularity. Walking is that way.”

Because of his interest in the community, Moody said, he has walked every street in Tyler twice. “It took 12 years to do it the first time; 11 years the second time,” Moody said.

He started all over again in 2011 for the third round.

Spread on a desk in his apartment is a city map. When Moody returns after walking, he marks on the map the street and blocks he covered.

“It (walking) is part of my research interests in society,” Moody, who taught sociology and other subjects at different times in six area colleges, said.

Moody, 53, has been walking for exercise almost all of his life.

“Even when I was 4, I was walking a long way. When I was 5 or 6, I’d take off on four- or five-mile walks,” Moody said.

Walking is one way Moody gets acquainted with the city of Tyler.

“I feel it’s important for us as citizens to know the community we live in,” Moody said.

“It’s a wonderful thing to get out and see what’s going on in the neighborhoods and see areas of the town,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any substitute for getting out and seeing what’s out there.”

Moody said he is very interested in Tyler and the community.

“There’s a lot of good people in this community. … There is a lot of civic mindedness,” he said.

Moody said he has seen areas of extreme poverty in Tyler and very expensive areas where the wealthy live.

“There are all variations. My walking allows me to see that firsthand. As a sociologist, I’m very interested in the economic and social divisions,” Moody said.

Some streets in poor areas, he said, are so small they are more like alleys than streets, have no sidewalks or curbs, drain into yards and have large pot holes. “In wealthy areas, you don’t see that,” Moody said.

“As a sociology teacher and social work professor, I’m very interested in addressing the needs of the community and do what I can to ameliorate those needs as best I can as an individual,” Moody said.

“I’m sure there are people who have lived here all their life and never been in parts of this town. If we understand and love one another, we will have a better community and I believe we will have more unity. We should never turn down an opportunity to learn from someone, whether it’s a homeless person, a wino or a wealthy billionaire,” Moody said.

Moody has learned tolerance from walking.

“The bottom line is tolerance of other people, tolerance of other races, tolerance of other cultures and ethnic groups, tolerance of other religions, tolerance of other age groups, tolerance of other socioeconomic groups different from your own,” Moody said.

Moody has seen several ethnic and racial groups in Tyler, including Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Jewish and Islamic.

In his walks around town, Moody said he has attended services or toured every church, synagogue and mosque, although he is a Southern Baptist.

Moody added that he has toured every hospital in Tyler, day care centers, nonprofit agencies, television and radio stations, the newspaper office and nursing homes as well as East Texas juvenile correctional facilities, state mental hospitals and prisons.

Moody has worn out many pairs of shoes walking around town.

“I just love to see the community. I’ll be doing it at age100 if I’m still alive because I love exercise. I love to get out and make myself physically fit,” Moody said.