Frederick Murray

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Various pictures of Fred, including one with his friend, Mel Hoffman (taken at and NSA conference by Anita Blom). He and Mel were friends for a very long time. Fred was best man at Mel and Ruth's wedding. They would get together at games of two California college football rivals, to cheer the opposite teams. They were often together at NSA meetings where they always supported the "same team."

Notices of Fred Murray's Passing

  • MURRAY, Frederick Pemberton Ph.D., a Fellow in the American Speech, Language & Hearing Association, passed away on January 24, 2019 following a brief illness. Fred was a speech-language pathologist and scholar (Professor Emeritus, University of New Hampshire), a passionate and tireless member of the stuttering community, and a mentor and friend to many. Family and friends are welcome to join in a celebration of Fred's life on March 2 at 1 pm at the Lake Seminole Resort Hall, 10245 110th Ave., Largo, FL 33773. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Stuttering Foundation, www.westutter.org, 800-937-8888, or the Stuttering Foundation of America, www.stutteringhelp.com. Published in the Tampa Bay Times on Jan. 30, 2019
  • National Stuttering Association On January 24, 2019, the stuttering community lost one of its dearest members. Dr. Frederick P. Murray was perhaps best known as the author of Stuttering Foundation's 'A Stutterer's Story', a pioneering book written from the perspective of a person who stutters. Fred was a speech-language pathologist, scholar (Professor Emeritus, University of New Hampshire), mentor, and trusted friend to many. In addition, Fred was a generous supporter of many organizations that advocate for people who stutter, including the NSA. Well into his 90's, Fred was a constant presence at local NSA meetings (in Tampa and Orlando) and at NSA Annual Conferences, where he continued mentoring other people who stutter. Fred will be missed - but never forgotten - by his many friends and admirers around the world.
  • The NSA also published a lovely article in their Spring 2019 newsletter, Letting Go". The single page tribute to Fred entitled Remembering Fred: Dr. Frederick P. Murray October 8, 1925-January 24, 2019 is attached with permission.

Memorial Service for Frederick P. Murray

  • A celebration of Fred's life was held on March 2 at 1 pm at the Lake Seminole Resort Hall in Largo, FL
  • Attached is a copy of the Service Folder from Fred's Memorial Service
  • Attached is a copy of Frederico Eulogy delivered by Fred's close friend, Fermin Cruz.

Some of Fred's Professional 'Gifts'

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  • Light From Many Sources Frederick P. Murray, Ph.D., Keynote address, ISA conference, Argentina - 2/28/2011
  • Frederick P. Murray, Ph.D A Stutterer's Story: An Autobiography 176 pages, available for $10 from the Stuttering Foundation, "Written by Frederick P. Murray, Ph.D., this autobiography gives a detailed account of how severe stuttering can affect one's thinking, actions, and way of living. Dr. Murray believes that, regardless of severity, those who stutter can accomplish much towards achieving gratifying fluency and a workable solution to the difficulty."
  • From the 1957 Panel discussion on "recovery" at the ASHA Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio - We are fortunate to have this panel presentation available. Fred Murray tells the story of running into Joseph Sheehan, who was facilitating the panel, in the hall at the convention, wondering if the panel was going to be audio taped. Sheehan responded that there were no plans to do that, but if Murray could arrange it, that would be all right. Murray, out of his own pocket, found someone to record it for $100, which at that time was a considerable sum. Thanks to Fred's quick thinking and generosity, this classic has been preserved. Listen to all of speakers at the ASHA convention in 1957 - Charles Van Riper, Joseph Sheehan, John Clancy, Dean Williams, S. Waldo Coleman, Charles Bluebell, Wendell Johnson, and James Frick by opening Voices: Past and Present, digitized by Judy Kuster and preserved on The Stuttering Home Page

Fred Murray speaks for himself

Several Memories and Tributes

  • Anita Blom I had the honor and pleasure to meet Fred. Sorry to hear he's no longer with us. He was a man you'd never forget once you talked to him. The picture above with Mel Hoffman was one I took at an NSA convention. What a man what a man what a man what a mighty good man.
  • John Gomez I am really saddened to hear about the passing of Dr. Fred Murray. He is a legend in the field of Speech Language Pathology. I met him at the Dallas NSA Conference in 2017. Upon meeting him, I realized that he had experienced A LOT in his life (and this is probably an understatement) so I went to his home in Florida and interviewed him to try to capture some of that history. From that time forward he and I would talk on the phone periodically. I was planning to interview him further in Fort Lauderdale this summer. I'm grateful for the short period of time I had to know him and he will be dearly missed...
  • Kevin H. Donan Words of wisdom are give to all. It is a selected few who move forward in life to create a better tomorrow with information. Sorry for this loss of a beautiful and caring human being who helped so many others during Dr. Murray's lifetime.
  • Rita Thurman - What a great loss to our community! Dr. Murray was a scholar, a friend, a colleague and caring man who devoted his life to helping people who stutter. He will be missed!
  • evanfred.jpgEvan Sherman I was fortunate to have had the honor and the privilege to have been in this man's presence on occasion over the past several years. Dr. Fred Murray, the last pioneer of stuttering treatment, a product of Charles Van Riper, and Wendell Johnson, and a student of Lee Travis. Words truly cannot describe the abundance of knowledge and expertise that this visionary bestowed upon the stuttering community. Pioneers never die. Rest easy, because although you aren't physically present, your spirit will live on and will continue to play a vital role in the evaluation and treatment of stuttering
  • Cameron Raynes I remember having great chats with Fred over breakfast each morning at Atlanta. The first morning in the restaurant, I didn't have much of a clue as to how things worked in America, and Fred invited me to his table and we shared breakfast and did so the next three or four mornings as well. He was chatting away in English to me, and Spanish (I think) to one of the waitresses. Inspirational man.
  • Hanan Hurwitz Dr. Fred Murray .. what a legend and what a character. I met him at my first NSA conference. I was sitting at breakfast, on my own, carefully avoiding any social contact as I had practiced for about 40 years, when this somewhat bombastic man asked if he could sit at my table. He promptly started telling me how to speak. At the time, I was very upset. Over time, however, I got to know more about Fred, and had the good fortune to read his book. I overcame being upset, and chatted with him a few times at other NSA conferences. It was great to let down my guard, learn from Fred, and have a laugh or two.
  • Paul Goldstein It's very sad to learn about Fred's passing. I had known him for over 30 years. I had first met him at a New England regional workshop of the National Stuttering Project around 1987, and have met him many times since. Fred was extraordinarily friendly, kind, and understanding. I love his autobiography "A Stutterer's Story". In 1991 Fred took a very personal interest in difficulties I was having at the time. I was then a speech-language pathology graduate student in Boston, and was denied clinical work for reasons that seemed clearly due to my stuttering (although other weak reasons were officially given, obviously to cover their legal behinds). Fred met with me personally at a café in the Boston area (he was then based in New Hampshire) to discuss the situation, and he was highly sympathetic. He followed up on the situation with me numerous times in the coming years. (The decision was later reversed. Partly due to inspiration from Fred, I asked for and received the right to address the entire speech pathology faculty of the school in appeal, and succeeded in changing their minds.) I last saw Fred 3 years ago in Atlanta at a combined conference of the National Stuttering Association and World Congress for People Who Stutter. He was very inspiring, and a most wonderful member of the stuttering community, the speech-language pathology profession, and the human race.
  • Peter Martin My deepest sympathy to the family, relatives and friends of Fred Murray. He played a critical role in my life as a stutterer and was a good friend for over 40 years. He was a giant in the speech field and a role model to all stutterers. Fred loved Harvard football and I had the privilege of attending a couple of the Yale Harvard games with him. He will be missed by all but his book A Stutterer's Story will live forever.
  • Nathan Maxfield, PhD, CCC-SLP, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders - Dr. Murray (Fred) was a generous supporter of programs for people who stutter at the University of South Florida, Tampa. For the past 10 years, Fred was a regular at support groups for adults who stutter, outreach events for children who stutter, clinic programs, and as a guest-speaker in university classes on stuttering. He continued mentoring and educating well into his 90's. We will miss Fred's vibrant shirts, his good humor, his stories about his travels, his deep historical knowledge about speech pathology, his encouraging words for new speech pathologists, and his message of hope for people who stutter.
  • Tammy Flores Executive Director of the National Stuttering Association: 'I was fortunate to be able to attend the memorial service of Fred Murray this past weekend, and got to thinking on the plane ride home later that night. I wonder if Fred realized just how loved and admired he truly was by all those with whom he came in contact. The words spoken by his friends and loved ones - one of his longest friends, the neighbor he swam with daily, those from his NSA chapter, his Spanish club, his French club, travel companions, his pastor - were all so moving, that one can only hope that the same sentiments will be said about each of us one day. It was so interesting to listen on as friends and family shared their glimpses into Fred’s magnificent life, but why do we wait until death before we acknowledge a person's life?"

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