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Gene Murdock: Tributes and Remembrances By Bob Murdock (January 6, 2004) This page was begun today in honor of my brother's 72nd birthday, but viewers are invited to add their own thoughts. See note at the end. From Jane McCauley, family friend and fellow historian: Happy 72th birthday, Gene. I will especially miss your columns and really enjoyed the ones on Hubbardston, your old home town. I have learned so much from these. Many of the foods that your mother prepared my mother also prepared and it brought back nice memories. Because I don't travel much, your travelogues were very interesting also. Whenever I wanted to find out something I could call on you. Thanks for the memories. From Daniel Leskinen, nephew: I'm going to miss Gene's regular writings. I have most of the saved. Maybe some day, some one can piece them together and make a book with them. From Teddie Doane, niece: I have saved many of Uncle Gene's writings and expressed to him how much we will miss hearing from him. We're hoping for an encore. From Roy Murdock, nephew: Happy 72nd Birthday Uncle Gene!!! Tami and I have thoroughly enjoyed your Days of Yore articles and Monday Morning Musings!! We have saved many of your articles. My favorite is "Reverend Charlton, Parts I and II". Tami's all time favorites are the ones regarding the radio shows in the 40's and the first TV shows. We also are very appreciative that you entrusted me with the Murdock Genealogy book which was originally owned by Admiral Joseph Murdock, who commissioned the book. His brother, Kenneth Murdock, an English professor at Harvard then passed the book to Carleton Murdock, Dean at Cornell University. There are also a number of letters from the 40's, 50's and 60's which are enclosed in the book regarding Murdock Genealogy. It's priceless!! Happy 72 and many more!!! From Meredith Murdock, niece: Uncle Gene, I have loved your stories, both of the past and current days. There have been several times when my inbox was fairly clogged, because I refused to delete them for a long time. Many times I have been inspired by your articles to go play on the internet, researching some nugget you have mentioned. I have also benefited by your stories about walks. I walk a mile and a half to the bus, and I try not to waste that time. In fact, when I had a broken toe, I really missed my walks for a few days. I have become spoiled. I notice much more than I used to before reading your nature walk stories. Many thanks! From Ian Murdock, nephew: Dear Uncle Gene, A very happy birthday 2004 to you, and many, many more! I must admit, when I read recently of your decision to end the MMM/DOY, etc. series of essays it felt as though the Earth's gravity had suddenly focused on trying to pull my heart down out of my chest through my colon, but I'm not surprised that you found it incumbent upon you to pull back on the reins, since (to borrow a phrase) you often do more before 6 A.M. than I, at an active 41, do all day! To further ameliorate the pervading sense of loss I console myself with the fact that I have saved all of the e-mails that I have received from you (over a hundred, and not a clinker in the pail) and arranged them in a searchable folder for quick Uncle Genealogical reference. Now that I have a complete set (not counting future Muse entries) I can share copies of the folder with my children so that they, too, can enjoy this treasure trove of thought-provoking articles and priceless snippets of our family's history. Heartiest congratulations on the occasion of your arrival at your six dozenth year, however buffeted (and perhaps contused), from your nephew Ian, along with wife Becky and a supporting cast of two, with love and best wishes for the sedate adventure of the dozens yet ahead! From Nancy A. Murdock, sister-in-law: TO GENE You've been a part of my life since we were both 9 years old and your family moved to Hubbardston. You were a tall, good-looking boy, and very smart. You had wavy dark brown hair, large brown eyes, and a great smile. To my eye, you stood out head and shoulders above the rest of boys, in every way. I, a 4th grader whose greatest sin was the "occasional" need to chat with someone during class time, was given the enviable task of quizzing you on all the spelling words the third grade had learned to date. Of course, you managed to get them all with very little trouble. You did ponder a bit for "yellow," so I mentioned that the pencils were "Yellow Jacket" pencils. You quickly wrote "yellow" with two L's, and we moved on. All during our Center School years, I considered you my boyfriend. I would look up and notice you gazing at me, and we would both blush. I would laugh unrestrainedly at your great jokes. We worked together as actors in a scene "on stage" for one of the monthly presentations in the school auditorium. You were the most intelligent boy I had ever met, and you were FUN! When you invited me to the Boy Scout Halloween party when you were in 7th grade and i in 8th, I was ecstatic. It was an exciting party, with a Haunted House, Spin the Bottle, and all those really great activities the older kids always seemed to indulge in. Wow! Unfortunately for me, you dumped me shortly afterward, transferring your attentions to Selma Walkinen and then Joan Lovewell (or maybe vice versa), both very blonde young ladies. I was crushed! It was a great relief to go to high school the next year, where my social life could expand a little beyond the borders of the single classroom. We kept in touch easily during our high school careers, partly because we were both in Grange and because we had a 20-mile ride to Athol High, and you sat directly behind me on the bus. You developed into quite a man-about-town, able to date any girl you wanted, if the circulating stories were true. You were a busy fellow, since you also joined every activity that would be mentioned in your yearbook, both in Athol and later in Gardner when our ride was cut in half. In the fullness of time, you married a very blonde young lady, Christine Ohlson, and I married your older brother Bob, who also had wavy dark brown hair, big brown eyes, and a nice smile. One of my neighbors in Glen Burnie once described Bob as having "bedroom eyes," a description to which her husband took offense. Being part of your family, I have been privileged to keep up with you all during your years of roving the world with the Air Force, etc. It was always a pleasure to see you and your family again, although our paths didn't often cross too easily, since both families were always on the move. There must have been a lot of your Charlton grandparents in both of you Murdock boys. In recent years, you have truly blessed our family with your writing. Our children honor you and keep your messages in a separate file. Some have said they would like to see your observations and research in a book. You seem to have an endless supply of ideas and you have been tireless in your research. My own favorite of all your writings is probably the one where you take us along a walk around your pond. It reminded Bob and me of the time we were visiting you in Alabama and accompanied you on your morning walk. You knew every tree and bird in the vicinity, and you shared what you knew as we walked briskly along. It was even better than our bird-watching trips to the park at home. We are lucky to have you, Gene. I am in awe of you for even more reasons than when you were 9 years old. You still have a way of saying things that puts them in an interesting perspective, but you now have many more experiences that underline what you say. You have a caring heart. When we toured the Museum of American Visionary Art, you pointed out to your sons the difficult backgrounds of many of the artists and their unique way of expressing their observations of life. And you have wonderful organizational skills. With seeming ease, you set up two great family reunions on one visit east recently. It was a real treat to participate in the Charlton get-together, since we seldom get to see those cousins, especially all together in one place! Your writings give many glimpses into your organization of time and energy on a consistent basis. As one of the same exact age (with only 8 days separating our birthdays), I am finding that my organizational skills are rusting out on weekends, when I used to get out and do something with every day off from work. You have used your retirement years remarkably well. I am continuing to work partly because I don't want to find myself each day getting dressed at noon after spending several hours with a novel, a regrettable habit that seems to have formed somewhere along the way. We both keep you in our prayers and hope for many more years of hearing from you, not on such a heavy schedule, of course, but just to know that you are still out there observing the world and finding it good. We love you, Gene, and we honor you as a valuable part of our life together. You have given us many gifts in your insights and in being a role model for the intelligent retired person with many interests. Happy 72nd Birthday, Gene! From Bob Murdock, brother: Congratulations upon your 72nd birthday! I have had the pleasure of knowing you for all of your years. In our archives we have a tattered note that I, not quite six, wrote to Mom at the hospital: "How is my baby brother, U-Geen?" After we moved to Hubbardston, among my fondest memories are the times that you and I visited Worcester, the Big City. One time we hitchhiked down, but had to stay overnight somewhere, so I used my last two dollars to stay at a rooming house. All we had to eat was an apple or two and a box of coconut. We found that in a park, and it was tasty, after we picked out the ants. After I had been in the Navy, I enjoyed telling you all the sea stories. For a time we shared a bedroom, and late one night we were laughing about one my escapades - until Dad pounded on the door. "Hey! Keep it quiet in there!" After you joined the Air Force, we didn't see you often, but corresponded occasionally by mail. Two of your comments stand out in my memory: "We do not like Guam!" and "A plague on Bacon's By the Sea!" You were referring to the time you and Chris came to see us in Florida, near Eglin AFB. In honor of your visit, we decided to treat you at the finest restaurant. It was a disaster! The service was slow and the food was cold. A plague, indeed. You have been a most valued contributor to the Murdock Muse. Thanks to your steady supply of historical and entertaining articles, you helped to keep us going when we wondered if it was worth while to continue. Countless Muse readers have written to say how much they enjoyed their writing. Thanks a bunch for all of your Muse input, and for keeping us on the distribution list for all the MMM and DOY reports! |
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