Clarence J. Murphy

Obituary Clarence J. Murphy Dr. Clarence John Murphy passed away peacefully at the age of 91 on June 7, 2025 at his home in Stroudsburg. "Murph", as he was known to his family and friends, was born April 20, 1934 in Manchester, NH to Elsie F. (Schmidt) and Clarence F. Murphy. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 1955 and a Master of Science in 1957 from the University of New Hampshire. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1960. Murph was an associate professor at Ithaca College 1961 to1969, serving as department chair from 1962 to1967. At the time of his death, he was a professor emeritus of chemistry at East Stroudsburg University. He was a faculty member in the chemistry department from 1969 until 1998 and served as the first department chair from 1969 to 1984. A proud moment of his time at ESU was obtaining American Chemical Society certification for the chemistry department. During his career, he also had visiting research scientist positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University, St. Anselm's College in Manchester NH, and Lehigh University. While at Buffalo, he met his future wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Schuler, who was a student in one of his labs. They married on September 24,1960 and moved to the Boston area for a year, while Murph was at MIT. After moving to Ithaca NY, they welcomed their three daughters, Elizabeth Ann ("Lisa"), Kathleen Diane, and Constance Greta. A devoted father, he supported his girls in their many school and extracurricular activities. Being a lifelong learner, student of history, and an educator, family vacations invariably included a visit to a historic site or museum. A lover of classical music and museums, the family enjoyed many visits to New York City for Broadway shows, the Metropolitan Opera, concerts, and museums. In later life, Murph and Betty traveled throughout the US, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean. Murph's scientific accomplishments were recognized with the Shoffstall Science Leadership Award from the Pennsylvania Academy of Science. He was active in the American Chemical Society, Sigma Xi, Pennsylvania State College Chemistry Conference, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Science (president 2002-2004). In addition, he maintained affiliations with the History Science Society, Society of Applied Spectroscopy, and Society of Plastics Engineers. He co-authored more than 100 research, review, and other publications in the fields of polymer and organometallic chemistry, the history of science, science education, and history. He is a named co-inventor on five U.S. patents. In 1999, he and his wife Betty established the Clarence J. Murphy Science and Society Lecture Fund at ESU to support a series of lectures on the interactions of science and society. Murph was involved in Boy Scouts of America for most of his life. He joined Cub Scouts in 1944 and earned Life Scout in 1951 when his father was Scoutmaster. He then became a College Reserve Scouter and taught at Boy Scout camp in the summers. Through a petition by fellow Scouts to the National Office, he received his Eagle Rank by passing his last requirement, swimming, in 1957. During his Scouting tenure, he served as Patrol Leader, Sr. Patrol Leader, Member of the Order of the Arrow since 1948, lodge delegate to the 1950 National Meeting, and he attended the 1950 National Jamboree to hear President Truman speak. He sat on the Pocono District Eagle Boards for many years. In 2018 he was honored by Boy Scouts of America with the John J. Riley Good Scout Award for his many years of service. He was especially gratified by his participation in over 400 Courts of Honor with the Scouts. He was an active member of Rotary Club of the Stroudsburgs, joining in 1972. He attended meetings regularly for 52 years, including a celebration for his 90th birthday. He served as president (2002- 2003) and was honored with Rotarian of the Year for 2016-2017. During his long membership, he was inducted into the Paul Harris Society Level 2, served on the Ambassadorial Scholarship committee for District 7410 for 10 years and was the chair of the committee for 5 years. As a result, he was able to help the district sponsor several students from ESU to become Ambassadorial Scholars. Murph also worked to send the only Peace Scholar through our district, who came from India and traveled to Australia. He was active with the Monroe County Historical Association for many years, serving as a board member (president 1994-1997), and received a lifetime achievement award in 2017. He was a strong supporter of the Eastern Monroe Public Library (EMPL), serving as a member of the Board of Directors (president 1994-1998) and Board of Trustees of the EMPL Foundation (vice-president). He provided technical knowledge as a member of the Monroe County Emergency Planning Committee since 1984. He entertained listeners for 34 years by hosting WESS's Sunday afternoon classical music program. He served for many years as a board member with the Stroud Township Board of Auditors and the Stroud Township Sewer Authority. Murph is survived by Betty, his wife of over 64 years, daughters Lisa Vail (Tim) of Pagosa Springs CO, Kathy Hogan (Michael) and beloved grandsons Riley Patrick and Brooks Michael of Saylorsburg, and Constance Murphy (Bob Garufy) of Arden NC. The family will receive friends and family at the William H. Clark Funeral Home in Stroudsburg on Wednesday June 18th from 4 to 6pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to Minsi Trails Council - Boy Scouts of America, Friends of EMPL, Monroe County Historical Association, and Rotary Club of the Stroudsburgs.