By Judy Rattner
Person of the Year
Gene Murray
No longer mayor, but still serving the people
By JUDY RATTNER
If you measure a man's success by the number of lives he touches, it would be hard to imagine a greater success than former Rockville Centre Mayor Eugene J. Murray.
He has been described as a kind, generous soul who would never pass up the chance to help another human being, a true neighbor and a shining example of what it means to be a part of a community. Stories about Murray's acts of compassion and concern for others are legion. He is known for his tireless efforts and years of endless dedication to the village. He is a steady presence.
If there is something - anything - going on in town, you're likely to run into Murray there. He is admired for his ability to establish a rapport with anyone and his genuine interest in others, from the youngest residents to senior citizens. He has made a real difference for the people of Rockville Centre, and even though he is no longer mayor, he hasn't stopped giving back.
After 20 years of bringing an unusually personal touch to his tenure as mayor, Murray, once described as central casting's quintessential small-town mayor, stepped down in June. Of all his achievements in office - which included water, electric and building infrastructure improvements and his constant insistence on keeping tax increases as low as possible - Murray may be best known for establishing the Rockville Centre Community Fund in 1987, his very first year in office. The fund provides emergency aid for residents and local charities.
As its president, Murray quickly established an offshoot, the special We Care Fund, after Sept. 11, 2001, to help local families who had lost loved ones in the attacks. His sensitivity and compassion were on full display in the days and weeks after 9/11, as he visited and comforted families that were directly affected by the tragedy.
For those efforts, Murray and the We Care Fund committee members were recognized by the Herald as Persons of the Year in 2001. This year we selected Murray again, in tribute to the sum of a career that has been marked by an extraordinarily altruistic nature. We have been impressed and delighted that in his "retirement," Murray has remained active as the honorary village ambassador, and is as ready to help as always.
"A lot of people don't know about the good works and charitable things he has done," Trustee Andrew Karamouzis said of Murray when he announced his retirement last March. "He did them in a quiet, unassuming way, behind the scenes. He just did it to help people."
In her written reflections on Murray shortly before his retirement, Martha Krisel, who was village attorney for 10 years during his tenure, described how current and former residents would show up at Village Hall without an appointment, needing money, advice, maybe a reference. Krisel recalled that Murray was never too busy or tired to take the time to sort out the problem, calling on the appropriate village employees to help as well.
At the party to honor Murray in June, former village administrator Anthony Cancellieri described how Murray worked. "He understood his role to serve the people...," Cancellieri said. "He helped people with respect and dignity, neighbor to neighbor."
Mayor Mary Bossart says Murray has been a big help to her, particularly with the Community Fund. "He's been handling most of the cases, investigating what needs to be done, and then we discuss it," Bossart said, adding that Murray continues to help with weddings, something he has always loved to do.
Murray began his public-service career relatively late in life. "He devoted himself to his family first," said longtime friend Jeff Greenfield. "Then he became fire chief after the kids were grown. And from there he served the village as trustee and mayor -- the longest-serving mayor."
"He's incredibly dedicated to his wife and his family and it's a beautiful example," said Bossart.
Murray, who won his first mayoral race in 1987, is a lifelong resident of the village. One of 13 children, he graduated from St. Agnes High School and then, after a stint in the Army, returned to Rockville Centre to build a successful commercial cleaning service, settling down with his wife, Mary Lou, to raise eight children.
A longtime member of the volunteer fire department, Murray was its chief from 1977 to 1983. He is a Eucharistic minister and lector at St. Agnes, a deeply religious man who is a regular at the 6:30 a.m. Mass. Over the years he has been part of, and honored by, a host of local organizations, including the Nassau County Boy Scouts, Temple B'nai Sholom, the Masonic lodge, the Hispanic Brotherhood, the Guild for the Arts and the Lions Club. In 1996, Molloy College presented Murray with an honorary Doctor of Civil Laws degree, and he has also received the college's highest honor for his work, the President's Medal.
"There isn't an organization in town that hasn't been touched by him," said Greenfield. "He would turn his back on no one." In his "retirement," Murray is now the president of the Nassau County Vocational Education Extension Board, which oversees the BOCES Practical LPN Nursery School, an EMT program and the Fire Service Academy.
Murray has been president of the New York Conference of Mayors and the Nassau County Village Officials Association. Krisel described him as a coalition builder. "He encouraged his staff to be part of wider associations and professional memberships," she said. "He was proud of us when we became leaders."
Krisel said that Murray never disapproved of anything and that for him, glasses are always half full. No problem was insurmountable. "He never looked to see the worst in any situation or person," she said. "He always saw the best, and he always wanted to help. For example, even if somebody didn't live in Rockville Centre but was connected in any way to the community, he was there for them. He wanted to help them, he wanted to make it better. He would drop everything to help someone, and he expected the same from all of his employees. He never expected anything of anyone that he himself would not do."
Greenfield and others describe Murray as a humble man. He rarely used the ceremonial mayor's office in Village Hall; instead he was usually downstairs greeting people, listening to their complaints and working to solve them. If you couldn't find him at Village Hall, you could call him at home, because he is listed in the phone book. Or you could find him at that early Mass or walking on the street afterward. He always had a memo pad with him, Greenfield said, ready to jot down a complaint.
Ed Oppenheimer, a longtime member of the fire department and the Chamber of Commerce, spoke of Murray's people skills. "His love of kids is legendary," Oppenheimer said. "There's a picture of him on the steps of Village Hall reading to a group of kids. You should see the expression on his face. He's a grandfather for every child in the village, and he relishes that role. He would visit every elementary school, and loved it when the kids came to Village Hall.
"And he loved doing those weddings," Oppenheimer added, recalling one set of nuptials that was all set to go when, at the last minute, the official who had planned to perform the ceremony couldn't make it. "So I had an idea," Oppenheimer said. "'Let's call Gene.' He said, 'I'll be there.' And he showed up and performed the wedding.
"He would go out of his way to help people. Weddings, funerals. He would even go to the wakes of the family members of village employees. He treated them like his own family."
It's safe to say that Rockville Centre has benefited in many ways from the outstanding service of its avuncular former mayor. In one way or another, Gene Murray has touched us all.
Comments about this story? RVCeditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
