FREDERICK MURRAY A TRIBUTE BY FERMIN CRUZ Frederick Murray. 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. The following eulogy excerpt was written and presented by his dear friend, Fermin Cruz and speaks of Murray's extraordinary life and quest to conquer stuttering.


You may know, that early in life, Fred was a severe stutterer. It started suddenly at around age 3 and would last his entire life. Stuttering would go on to be his life's challenge and conquering it, his greatest achievement!


Fred had wonderful parents who always loved and encouraged him no matter the speech impediment. Fred was very proud and consoled by the fact that both would live long enough to hear and see his improved speech and boast how proud they were of him.


Imagine growing up in the 1930's and 1940's, one world war over and another about to begin. The public sentiment was not very favorable to people with severe stuttering. Fred suffered throughout his childhood from laughter and cruel teasing only to persevere and grow stronger from every experience. He not only learned to master his speech, but later become one of the worlds foremost experts on speech impediments, lecturing to audiences of hundreds. Additionally, he learned to speak fluently in Spanish and French.


Fred was on a mission to determine the cause and cure of stuttering, and nothing was going to stop him. He enrolled in public speaking classes and attended hundreds of hours of psychological sessions. Everywhere he traveled (not only in the US but throughout the world) Fred loved to study how other therapists treated stuttering. He learned all he could from noted authorities and experienced its practical application on the world stage. Fred even once traveled to Calcutta India simply because an old professor had asked him to help a young man that was stuttering. Fredrick Murray worked tirelessly...nothing was given, everything was earned.


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Fred never blamed anyone for teasing him, for being hard on him, citing that "you need thick skin, yes-- but most importantly a great sense of humor." He described how he tried to introduce himself to a stranger at a party. He said my name is “F-F-F-F-F Fred” and the reply was “I'll just call you Fred for short”. Fred laughed and laughed! It broke the ice and he went on to have a great time at the party.


"Stuttering is organic, meaning it's something that comes from within the nervous system. A person stutters at no fault of their own. However, for someone to overcome this disability, you cannot hide your stuttering, embrace it, control it, then vigorously pursue the things in this world you are passionate about."


Dr. Fredrick Murray was an exceptional professor. He famously said "stuttering is organic, meaning it's something that comes from within the nervous system. A person stutters at no fault of their own. However, for someone to overcome this disability, you cannot hide your stuttering, embrace it, control it then vigorously pursue the things in this world you are passionate about."


Fred said that Moses, the biblical giant, was also a stutterer. I can see Fred now, introducing himself to Moses at the gates of heaven, putting his arms around Moses, saying "Stuttering is Organic, meaning it's something that comes from within the nervous system...."


God Bless you Frederico. We are all better to have known you. We will love you and will never forget you dear Friend. God speed.


Pictured from L to R: Marie-Claude Lalique with Murray, in France; Murray with SFA Founder Malcolm Fraser and Celia Gruss; Fred on one of his many trips to Cuba.


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