Alumni Feature | QU
50 OF
YEARS CARING by Jen Wingerter ’13
When you sit down to talk to JERRY MURPHY '70, M.S., the conversation quickly moves to the good work others are doing. He wants you to know their stories. He can’t help but celebrate their success, especially in the face of challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. His enthusiasm and care for others have kept him connected to his alma mater for over 50 years. Murphy ventured onto campus in 1966, a young freshman. Soccer led him to Quincy College (now QU), but he chose it for other reasons as well. Growing up in St. Louis, Murphy had many college choices without leaving his hometown. But with the encouragement of his high school mentor, Murphy looked for a college away from home. Going away to college provided the opportunity to mature in a good and safe environment. And he is so grateful he chose QU. Murphy met his wife Mary Jo, and many lifelong friends during his four years on campus. In 2016, this group of friends returned to campus for Homecoming and to celebrate 50 years of friendship that started with their freshman year at Quincy College.
The one thing that firmly bonds him to QU is the Franciscan values he adopted and wove throughout his life.
For the past ten years, Jerry Murphy has served alongside many of his 1970 era QU classmates to organize the QU & You Chicago Golf Outing fundraiser. www.quincy.edu
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