MOURNERS REMEMBER, PAY TRIBUTE TO LONE RANGER SERVICES HELD AT WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM FOR ACTOR CLAYTON MOORE.

Byline: Dominic Berbeo Staff Writer

Actor Clayton Moore, better known as the Lone Ranger, was remembered by family and friends at a memorial service Sunday as an American hero both on and off the screen.

A longtime Calabasas resident, Moore died on Dec. 28 of a heart attack in West Hills. He was 85.

``For me, the strongest most enduring image of a hero was the Lone Ranger,'' actor Alex Cord said at the memorial held at the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage attended by about 250 fans, many donning cowboy hats and boots.

They came to pay tribute and give thanks to Moore, whose Lone Ranger character never stuck around after a good deed to wait for thanks.

``When I was a little boy and I discovered the Lone Ranger on the radio, my life changed dramatically. I was taken away into the old West, and I learned about good and bad,'' Cord said.

Moore played the hero in 169 episodes that aired on ABC-TV from September 1949 to September 1957, as well as in two movie features, ``The Lone Ranger'' and ``The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold.''

Actor Rand Brooks, who had been friends with Moore since 1938, remembered him as a dedicated family man and actor who left a lasting image in American culture as his legacy. ``I figure 50 years from now there'll be two kids,'' Brooks said. ``And they'll be deciding who'll be the Lone Ranger and who'll be Tonto.''

Brooks said he and his family maintained a close friendship with Moore and his family through the years.

``More than anything,'' Brooks said, ``I remember he never said one bad thing about anybody. He was a true hero.''

On display at the memorial service were the Lone Ranger's original hat, holster and six-shooters with silver bullets, his saddle and the famous black mask.

A division of the Los Angeles Police Department's mounted officers assembled outside the museum in tribute to Moore.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, a self-proclaimed Lone Ranger fan, presented a certificate of appreciation to Moore's widow, Clarita, and his daughter, Dawn Moore Gerrity.

Actor Johnny Crawford pointed out that Moore is the only actor to have his name along with the name of his character etched into his commemorative star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

``He simply was the Lone Ranger,'' Crawford said. ``He was a noble, noble gentleman. He would never let you down.''

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Photo: Clayton Moore's son-in-law, Michael Gerrity, walks a riderless horse past LAPD metro division's mounted unit Sunday.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer