William Murray Obituary

MURRAY, William William Edwards Murray, 81, of Charleston and New York City, passed away peacefully at his Charleston home on Saturday, August 4, 2007, surrounded by family and friends. Born in Charleston on September 1, 1925, Mr. Murray was the son of Leon Dallas Murray and Winnie Davis Edwards. He attended Charleston public schools, The Citadel, and was a graduate of The University of South Carolina where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He graduated from The University of South Carolina School of Law and earned his L.L.M. in Taxation from Harvard Law School where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He attended New York University School of Law where he further specialized in taxation and was honored with numerous honorary Doctorate degrees from various institutions of higher learning, including The University of South Carolina and The Medical University of South Carolina. He practiced law in New York, Georgia and South Carolina for over fifty years. Mr. Murray served in the United States Navy in the Naval Reserves during World War II and climbed the ranks to lieutenant. He served as an engineering officer aboard the LST-617, which took part in the invasion of Okinawa, among other battles. In addition to his legal and military careers, Mr. Murray was also a successful real estate developer and entrepreneur throughout the East Coast. He was a man of extraordinary vision and action. He was the founder and Chairman of the Board of East Bay Company, which has been instrumental in the revitalization of many historic sections of Charleston. His legacy is the continuation of that mission in his childhood town which he so dearly loved. Over the course of his life, Mr. Murray supported many philanthropic endeavors in the fields of medicine, education, fine and performing arts, and world peace. He served on countless boards in these fields, including The Medical University of South Carolina, East West Institute, Spoleto Festival USA, Educational T.V. of South Carolina, The Cancer Research Institute, and Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital. He was also honored to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. He recently helped found The School of Languages, Cultures and World Affairs at The College of Charleston. He was awarded the Order of The Palmetto by both Governor Riley and Governor Hodges. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Minnie Farmer Holmes of Columbia, South Carolina and survived by his life partner, Helen Rae Flynn of Charleston, South Carolina and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He is survived by his four daughters and son-in-law: Pamela Holmes Murray of Charleston, South Carolina; Elizabeth Edwards Murray of Manhattan, New York; Catherine Peronneau Murray Smith and her husband, Hilton Charles Smith, Jr. of Charleston, South Carolina; and Alexandra Brianna Wilder Murray of Charleston, South Carolina. He is also survived by his brother, Leon Dallas Murray, Jr., of Atlanta, Georgia, and six grandchildren, Ashley Smith, Alison Smith, Jeanette Smith, Elspeth Kelly, Hilton Smith III and Christopher Smith, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends Tuesday evening, August 7, from five until seven o'clock at STUHR'S DOWNTOWN CHAPEL, 232 Calhoun Street, Charleston. Funeral services will be held Wednesday at two o'clock in The Summerall Chapel at The Citadel with a reception immediately following. A private interment will be at Live Oak Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the MUSC Foundation for the benefit of the Murray Center for Research in Parkinson's Disease at 18 Bee Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29425 or by contacting Melva Dobson at (843) 792-2678, or to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Development Office at One Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724 or by contacting Diane Fagiola at (516) 367-8840. Visit out guestbook at www.charleston.net/deaths.