On Saturday, Oct. 1, Elizabethtown College lost an honored faculty member, Debi Murray. She battled breast cancer for many years and was the associate director of admissions at Etown, a job which she began in 1998. In 2004, she became the senior associate director of admissions, and one year later, she was promoted to the director of admissions. In order to focus more on her health and family, Murray decided to no longer be in this leadership position in 2015.
Besides working in admissions, Murray was very involved on campus. She was the advisor for Etown’s Colleges Against Cancer Club and always participated in the club’s Relay for Life event, which raised money for cancer research. She also was a volunteer assistant coach for the Etown volleyball team for four years as well as a mentor to many athletes. She remained a mentor for the team after her four years as a coach until the spring season of 2016. The volleyball team has held their yearly Dig Pink match to support her battle with cancer, which will be held this year on Oct. 29 in memory of Murray. The team had a moment of silence in remembrance before their match against Lebanon Valley Wednesday, Oct. 5.
A visitation for Murray was held Thursday, Oct. 6 from 4-7 p.m., and all were invited to attend. The burial was a private service for the family. She is survived by her husband Tom Murray and her two children Grace and Bryan.
Murray touched many lives while at the College. “I had the pleasure of working with Debi Murray on many things,” sophomore Brooke Dougherty said. “Not only seeing her at almost every [volleyball] game, but organizing the Relay for Life Team Digs for Debi. On and off of the court, Debi is and always will be our number one fan.”
Randall Krieder, former head volleyball coach, worked not only with Murray during volleyball season but was a close friend of hers. Krieder says that Murray was more than a coach, she was a mentor that the players could talk to and “strive to emulate.”
Besides having a love for the students at the College, she had a great love for her family, which was something Krieder believed was what everyone could learn from Debi. Even though she loved sitting on the bench and cheering loudly for the team, she was always much more comfortable when with her family. Krieder believes the “world has many heroes. Maybe not superhumans that leap tall buildings, but everyday folks who inspire us to be better than who we are from one day to the next.” Murray’s love and devotion was an inspiration to him and many others, and because of this, “Debi was, and always will be, one of my heroes.”
