William H. Murdy
1928 - 2014
Dr. William Murdy served Emory for over forty years. He said that he always wanted to be a farmer, so he attended and graduated from the Bristol County School of Agriculture before serving four years in the army. He then resumed his education, earning a B.A. degree in science in 1956 from the University of Massachusetts and a doctorate in botany from Washington University in 1959.
He joined the Emory faculty later that same year as a professor of biology. He taught a variety of biology courses for over four decades, most of which dealt with botany, and wrote numerous papers on plant systematics, biodiversity, evolution, and environmental ethics. He also served as president of Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, and the University Senate. His colleagues have described him as having character and judgment “beyond compare,” and his “patience, integrity, and equanimity” as “the hallmark of his administration.”
In 1986, Murdy became the dean of Oxford College, a position he would hold until 1999. During his tenure as dean, he focused on improving facility maintenance, faculty salaries, and student life at Oxford College. Under his administration as dean, Murdy planned for the renovation, adaptive reuse, and expansion of Few Hall. He also transformed Hopkins Hall into the Virgil and Susanne Eady Admissions Center, oversaw the completion of the Flemming L. Jolley Residential Center, and the construction of the new Haygood Hall dormitory. In addition, he strengthened admissions policies causing enrollment to grow, increased support for faculty research and scholarship, and enhanced Oxford College’s relationship with Emory’s Atlanta campus.
In 1986, Murdy became the dean of Oxford College, a position he would hold until 1999. During his tenure as dean, he focused on improving facility maintenance, faculty salaries, and student life at Oxford College. Under his administration as dean, Murdy planned for the renovation, adaptive reuse, and expansion of Few Hall. He also transformed Hopkins Hall into the Virgil and Susanne Eady Admissions Center, oversaw the completion of the Flemming L. Jolley Residential Center, and the construction of the new Haygood Hall dormitory. In addition, he strengthened admissions policies causing enrollment to grow, increased support for faculty research and scholarship, and enhanced Oxford College’s relationship with Emory’s Atlanta campus.
After he retired from Oxford College in 1999, Dr. Murdy moved to Atlanta for a time but remained active in college affairs as a member of the Oxford College Board of Counselors. He returned to Oxford in 2002 and served as a city councilmember before being elected mayor in 2004, a position he held until 2006. The new city hall was built during his administration.
Dr. Murdy was appointed to the Georgia’s Preservation 2000 Program Advisory Committee. He was also a life member of the board of trustees of Atlanta Botanical Garden and as a trustee of the Nature Conservancy of Georgia. He put his expertise in nature conservancy to work for his community by establishing beds of native plants around campus buildings, clearing the Oxford Nature Trail on un-cut streets rights-of-way, and fostered the development of outdoor learning at the Oxhouse Center. Dr. Murdy, in conjunction with Professor Eloise Carter, conducted a preservation study of the Lullwater Forest at Emory and published a book on the flora of Arabia Mountain.
Dr. Murdy was appointed to the Georgia’s Preservation 2000 Program Advisory Committee. He was also a life member of the board of trustees of Atlanta Botanical Garden and as a trustee of the Nature Conservancy of Georgia. He put his expertise in nature conservancy to work for his community by establishing beds of native plants around campus buildings, clearing the Oxford Nature Trail on un-cut streets rights-of-way, and fostered the development of outdoor learning at the Oxhouse Center. Dr. Murdy, in conjunction with Professor Eloise Carter, conducted a preservation study of the Lullwater Forest at Emory and published a book on the flora of Arabia Mountain.