Sally Murray: A Life Lived in Service to Others
By Amanda Castro-Crist
Sally Murray still remembers her first visit to Texas Tech University (TTU). World War II had recently ended, and, in a desire to visit relatives, her father loaded up the family and made the 450-mile trek from their home in East Texas to the small West Texas town of Ralls.
After returning from a car ride to Lubbock, about 30 minutes west of Ralls, Murray’s uncle asked her what she’d most enjoyed about the trip. Just five years old, the tiny Murray had done her best to see as much as possible from her seat inside the large, chunky car. One thing had stood out.
“I like the roofs – I’ve never seen roofs like that,” she answered, referring to the university’s iconic Spanish Renaissance-style architecture. Her uncle responded, “That’s Texas Technological College.”
From then on – though most of her friends would go off to other schools in the state – any time someone would ask where she was going, she’d say, “I’m going to Texas Tech.” Murray eventually did just that, earning a bachelor’s degree in education from the university.
In the years since, her ties to the university and the Texas Tech University System (TTU System) have continued to grow. Murray and her family have built a legacy of giving to generation after generation of people who call the TTU System and its universities their academic and professional homes. Their gifts have supported campus and community programs and projects and have helped provide financial support to numerous students over the years.
“I've always thought that a university contributes so much to a community, and Texas Tech obviously does,” Murray said. “It's almost like, how could you not give?”
DOCUMENTING THE DECADES
Murray’s home is filled with mementos from a full life, much of it a reflection of all she and her late husband, Grover Murray, Ph.D., experienced and accomplished.
“He was a collector,” Murray said of her husband. “And I guess once you live with a collector, it rubs off on you, too. “
He was a “plant man,” and around the room are multiple pots of Sansevieria trifasciata (commonly known as “mother-in-law’s tongue”), as many varieties of the plant as he could find. Art from around the world fills space throughout the house, many from people he met during his career. In another room, countless books line the walls of a makeshift library, and on the desk sits an inflated globe covered in marker, his documentation of numerous trips throughout the years.
“It’s my favorite thing,” Murray said of the globe. “Some of his favorite places, of course, were Antarctica, Africa and Canada. But if you look at all the lines, you can see that he was really a world traveler.”
A respected and renowned expert and avid researcher in the field of geology, Grover completed his undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) before earning his master’s and doctorate degrees at Louisiana State University (LSU). He started his professional career as a petroleum geologist with Magnolia Petroleum Company before joining the faculty in 1948 at LSU where he would eventually become Vice President of Academic Affairs at the LSU System.
In 1967, one year after he began serving as the eighth Texas Tech president, Grover Murray established the President’s Council as a way for donors to support groundbreaking initiatives, fund student scholarships and recognize excellence among faculty and staff. The society would ultimately become the Chancellor’s Council in 1996 when the TTU System was established.
“He was such a strong giver,” Murray said. “If the money was there, he would say there just had to be some kind of payback. Not everybody thinks that way, but those who do – like Grover – certainly allow students who would never be able to go to school, to do so.”
Murray said while both she and her husband benefitted from scholarships, his passion for giving came from his struggles to fund his educational journey. When his parents took him to the train station to see him off to college, his father handed him a $100 bill and apologized – it was all he could give him for his four years at UNC.
“Going to school for Grover got him out of a small town in North Carolina, and it was another world – that's what college should be,” Murray said. “But he did have a rough time. That’s why Grover gave so much, because he knew how hard it was to survive, and he was so fond of his professors. He said they were responsible for who he turned out to be.”
CREATING A LEGACY OF IMPACT
Creating the Chancellor’s Council was just one of many initiatives under President Murray’s tenure that have had a long-lasting impact on the university – and the entire Texas Tech University System.
During that time, Texas Tech saw exponential growth through the construction of many of the buildings that now house the university’s 13 colleges and schools. The creation of units like the National Ranching Heritage Center, the School of Law and the International Center for Arid and Semi-Arid Land Studies helped push the university down the path toward becoming a nationally recognized research institution.
And despite some opposition from higher education peers across the state, he and his leadership team won approval from the state’s coordinating board for the School of Medicine which would later evolve into Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
Chancellor’s Council Senior Director Abbi Brickey said the Murrays are a perfect example of the significance of philanthropy and how change can come full circle when someone is willing to pay it forward.
“Sally and Dr. Grover Murray’s legacy of service will inspire and impact generations of faculty, students and staff at the TTU System’s five institutions for years to come,” Brickey said. “We are so thankful to President Murray for his role in the creation of the Chancellor’s Council and for Sally’s tireless efforts to continue and build upon his vision.”
Murray said her husband’s mindset toward philanthropy continues to inspire her to find more ways to give. In addition to her direct giving to the TTU System and universities, she also has been involved with various community groups that work to raise money for student scholarships.
She encourages alumni and others to give and offer support in ways that are meaningful to them.
“Think back about who helped you,” she said. “You don't have to give $50,000. You give what you can and that grows, and somebody can buy books or they’re able to register for classes or buy groceries. And when you meet the students, and they are so grateful, and you see that they benefit so much, how could you not want to help? Just think back on your time at Texas Tech.”