Dr. William Francis Murray Jr.

A retired U.S Navy Chief Warrant Officer - 3, with over 27 years of service, and a Professor Emeritus, Chaminade University of Honolulu. Dr. Murray spent over 34 years with Chaminade University, as the Director of Admissions and a Professor of Business; and was co-founder of the Hawaii College & Career Fair.

He is survived by daughter; Pamela; son, James and a daughter in-law Nancy; 3 grandchildren, Sharlene Dockrey-Din and husband Tony Din, Michael and Ryan Murray; and 3 great grandchildren, Maria Nihoa, Arika and Angela Din; and brother Robert Murray.

Visitation; 9:30a.m -11: 00a.m Wednesday, November 28, 2012. Funeral Mass at 11:00am - 12:00p.m Wednesday, November 28, 2012 at Mystical Rose Chapel, Chaminade University of Honolulu, at 3140 Waialae Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96816.

Committal Service, with Military Honors, at 1:00p.m at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery at 45-349 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, HI 96744. Aloha attire.

Biography of Dr. William F. Murray, Jr.

Dr. William F. “Bill” Murray, Jr. was born on August 2, 1927, in Syracuse, NY. He was the oldest of three sons born to William and Armella (Biel) Murray.

Outgoing and friendly, with an Irish “gift of gab,” Bill loved being with people and his energy and positive outlook on life were contagious.

He and his wife, Beverly Kennedy, both grew up in Syracuse, NY, and for anyone who has ever been to Syracuse, especially in the winter, you can understand why they spent over 44 years in Hawaii.

They truly were “childhood sweethearts,” going steady when they were 14, and married when they were 19, on April 27, 1947. In 2011 they celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. Bill used to say that the secret to their successful marriage was that he kept his “Eyes and Ears Open, Mouth Shut!”

Bill and Bev had two children, 4 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren; and there was never any doubt how much they loved them and how proud they were of each of them. Bill thoroughly enjoyed being a grandfather, and loved spending time with his grand-kids. You could tell he was re-living some of his childhood whenever he played with them.

It’s ironic that Bill would end up spending 34 years working for a university, because his early academic career wasn’t too impressive. He attended Christian Brothers Academy, an all-boys Catholic School in Syracuse. When they were teenagers, Bev used to write excuses for him whenever he skipped school, and apparently she wrote quite a few excuses when he was in high school. The only problem was that Bill had to make sure he had his father sign all of his report cards, because if his mother had signed them, the school would figure out that she wasn’t the one who had written all of his excuses.

Bill actually quit high school in the summer before his senior year and joined the Navy, right after he turned 17, so that he could participate in WW II. He ended up spending 27 years in the Navy and rose to the rank of Master Chief, the highest enlisted rank in the Navy, before being promoted to Chief Warrant Officer. He retired with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer-3.

His wife used to say that he “quit school to join the Navy and has been going to school ever since,” which was true. While on active duty he earned his high school diploma and started taking college classes at night. During his final tour of duty, in Hawaii, he completed his Bachelor’s Degree and graduated from Chaminade University of Honolulu in 1970. Bill retired from the Navy the following year, and two weeks after he retired, on August 15, 1971, he went to work at Chaminade University as a counselor in the same Continuing Education Program that had helped him earn his Bachelor’s Degree.

Eventually he became the Director of the Continuing Education Program and then went on to become the University’s Director of Admissions. That was probably the best job Bill ever had, because he loved Chaminade and he loved to talk, and as Director of Admissions he got to talk all day long about Chaminade.

Bill strongly believed in the value of a college education and loved interacting with students. He used to say that the hardest part of his job was when he had to tell an applicant that they were not accepted at Chaminade University. Rather than simply writing a formal rejection letter, he would draft a personal letter, or, if the student was local, he would often meet with them and their parents, to help develop a plan on what they needed to do in order to be accepted at Chaminade in the future. To him, the most important thing was that the student didn’t give up on their education.

While working full time at Chaminade, Bill also continued his own educational pursuits. Again, taking classes at night and on the weekends, he earned a Master’s Degree from Pepperdine University and a Doctorate (at the age of 52) from the University of Southern California.

Once he had his advanced degrees, he began teaching at Chaminade University, initially in the evening off-campus program. After he retired as the Director of Admissions he became a full professor in the School of Business, teaching primarily in the MBA program, until he finally retired in 2005.

One of Bill’s proudest accomplishments was the Hawaii College & Career Fair. Back in the early 1970’s he tried, without success, to get a College Fair from the Mainland to come to Hawaii to recruit high school students. When that didn’t work, he helped organize several of the local high school counselors and together they founded the Hawaii College & Career Fair in 1973.

He served as President of the Fair for several years and as a result of his leadership, countless local high school students were able to learn about various educational and financial aid opportunities, not only in Hawaii, but also on the Mainland, and abroad as well. Over the years the Fair has continued to grow, and is now held statewide, with over 200 colleges and organizations participating each year.

During the last few years of his life, while his wife was struggling with Alzheimer’s, Bill was with her everyday. Right up to the end they were holding hands while watching TV and even when they went to bed. He truly lost his “soul mate” when Bev passed away in January 2012.

Bill was a special person, who loved God and his family. He worked hard and played hard, and accomplished some amazing things. He passed away peacefully, at home in Honolulu, on November 2, 2012, at the age of 85.

He was a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather; a life-long NY Yankees fan; a Naval Officer; and an Educator. With a strong moral character and a genuine sense of fairness, he treated everyone with respect. Something he used to tell his Business Ethics students, which describes his philosophy of life: “There is no right way to do the wrong thing!”

Bill certainly made the most of his 85 years. He enthusiastically embraced life, and through compassion, hard work and dedication, he improved the lives of many others.