Lines From Linda

December 2010

Dear JMMF Friends ~

Merry Christmas!  Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays!

Silver linings appeared as we welcomed three new schools to our scholarship competition this fall:  Boston University, Butler University and Valdosta State University. I look forward to working with Nancy Whitmore, Associate Professor and Director at the Eugene S. Pulliam School of Journalism at Butler University in Indianapolis, and with Mark Smith and Ted Geltner, Chairman of the English Department and Assistant Professor of Journalism, respectively, at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia.

As Ted Geltner wrote, “We think the work of JMMF to keep alive the memory of Jim Murray and his extraordinary body of work is a terrific gift to the sports journalism community.”

Nancy Whitmore concurred with, “The essays, judged by a panel of national writers, provides a wonderful opportunity for students to reflect on the legendary sports writing Mr. Murray produced throughout his life as they attempt to craft their own award-winning piece. I can’t think of a more fitting way to select a scholarship winner.”

Bill McKeen, former University of Florida J-school Chair, is now Chair of the Department of Journalism at Boston University. Bill steered four UF students to achieve Murray Scholar status and will continue a strong advocacy for the JMMF at BU.

I entered the world of SKYPE with an inaugural visit with Prof. Ted Spiker’s journalism class at University of Florida early November. Web cam meetings are interesting, and hopefully productive at 0600 hrs (PST). However, being in the classroom is always my first choice. Plus, I like the frequent flyer miles!

Luck of the Irish?  Maybe.  My good friend Marci Merliss, Beverly Hills real estate tycoon, hosted a St. Patrick’s Day dinner at her home last March 17th where I met Marilyn and Bill Lindheim. Huge sports fans and devout Jim Murray readers for nearly four decades, the Lindheims embraced the JMMF with open arms. Eight months later on November 16th, the Lindheims, along with NHL Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille, co-hosted the JMMF Patrons Reception for 100 guests at the elegant Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. To quote William Butler Yeats, “There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met.” So, thank you my friends, especially Marci, Marilyn and Bill, and Luc Robitaille.

The JMMF calendar is filling up with fabulous new adventures. On December 9th, the 2010 Murray Scholars will be feted at the second annual Sports & Media Symposium and Awards Reception at ESPN Zone @ LA Live in the VIP Championship Lounge. At the same time, the JMMF will present ESPN Zone with Jim Murray memorabilia to be displayed permanently at the LA location. We owe major thanks to longtime friend Michael Roth, AEG VP for Communications, for orchestrating the venue and to Tim Whiteman, marketing director at ESPN Zone for making it happen.

Last December at the Lakers game, a halftime center-court JMMF check presentation was made to the 2009 Murray Scholars. On December 9th, the five 2010 Murray Scholars will be recognized at the Los Angeles KINGS vs. Calgary Flames hockey game at Staples Center during one of the period breaks. We give special thanks (again) to Luc Robitaille, president of Business Operations for the Los Angeles KINGS, and Mike Altieri, vice president of Communications and Broadcasting for the KINGS.

If you are a big fan of “Dancing with the Stars”, it’s time to get excited about “Dancing With OUR Stars” in Rancho Mirage, California, on February 13, 2011, at Agua Calienta Casino, benefiting the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation.  For more informantion, email info@jimmurrayfoundation.org and/or check out DWOS website, www.dancingwithourstars.com.

As we head into summer 2011, the Inaugural JMMF-Montana Golf Classic will take place Friday, July 29th, at the Missoula Country Club, Missoula, Montana. PGA Life Member Mike Dowaliby, also emeritus golf pro at Whitefish (Mont.) Lake Golf Club, is responsible for stretching our imagination to implement regional JMMF golf tournaments that encompass the 30 universities who participate in the JMMF scholarship program. You will meet many of the Murray Scholars and their parents, along with faculty and alumni. Please join us in Missoula and/or spearhead a regional JMMF golf classic in your area.  For more information, email info@jimmurrayfoundation.org.

Over the past 11 years, the Murray Scholar family has grown to 73 scholarship recipients. Each $5,000 scholarship impacts the life of a student who is willingly and eagerly facing the challenges of an ever changing world of journalism evolving by the hour. Murray Scholars will always maintain a higher standard, personally and professionally, while staying competitive and relevant in their chosen fields of journalism.

It is of paramount importance to promote humility and responsibility in the profession as well as maintain the integrity of the written word. Strong training in reading and writing is essential to all forms of journalism, including broadcast and electronic. Through our competitive journalism scholarships, we identify the cream of the student crop.

Philanthropy has taken a major hit in fund raising the past couple of years and the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation (JMMF) is no exception. Reaching our goals to provide journalism scholarships has not been easy but never impossible. Giving up is not an option.

There will be tough times, always. With hope, courage, and financial help from you, the JMMF will progress in positive ways. In the Wisdom of Baltasar Gracian, remember, “Few are friends of who you are: most are friends of what you are.”

On behalf of the JMMF Board of Directors and the Murray Scholar alumni, I wish you the best in 2011 and thank you all for your financial gifts and ongoing support.  Your end-of-year donations are extremely important to us, and they’re tax deductible!   Thank you!

Warmest regards,

Linda

Linda McCoy-Murray
President & Founder
Jim Murray Memorial Foundation
JMMF 501(c)(3) Federal ID#94-3331025

P.S.  Are you receiving our “Mondays with Murray” columns?  Your feedback is very important to us.
Email:  info@jimmurrayfoundation.org

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will take place between June 11 and July 11, 2010 in South Africa.

Andrés Escobar (March 13, 1967 – July 2, 1994) was a Colombian footballer who was shot and killed in Medellín. It is widely believed that he was murdered due to his own goal in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, which caused gambling losses to several powerful drug lords. Andrés Escobar is still held in the highest regard by Colombian fans, and is especially mourned and remembered by Atlético Nacional’s fans.     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_Escobar

“Colombia is a not-so-good neighbor to the south of us that is the only country in South America to have a coastline on two oceans. It is split by the mighty Magdalena River, and it produces the best coffee in the world. It also produces some of the finest coca in the world, the biggest crop of heartbreak in any hemisphere.” ~ Jim Murray

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1994, SPORTS
Copyright 1994/THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY

JIM MURRAY

Death Will Be the Lasting Memory

The 1972 Olympics will never be remembered for world records, non-winning fractions or general brotherhood of the athletic community. It will be remembered for the slaughter of a dozen fine athletes by a band of terrorists. It will forever be the “Massacre” Olympics.
The 1919 World Series will never be remembered for called shots, spectacular catches, base-stealing splurges or brilliant pitching. It will be remembered for underworld intrusion into the grand old game – the Black Sox Scandal, the Fixed Fall Classic.
And the 1994 World Cup will not be remembered for strikers, sweepers, keepers or waving flags or national anthems. It will be remembered for a murder. A sudden, shocking act of homicide of a fine young athlete who had done nothing more serious than cost his team a game. It was the most terrible kind of lynching. The death of an innocent. Cause of death: World Cup soccer. Murder One.
Colombia is a not-so-good neighbor to the south of us that is the only country in South America to have a coastline on two oceans. It is split by the mighty Magdalena River, and it produces the best coffee in the world. It also produces some of the finest coca in the world, the biggest crop of heartbreak in any hemisphere. It is the home of the infamous Medellin cartel, brokers of the world’s cocaine, and it comes into focus as one of the great lawless centers of the universe, one that makes Chicago of the ‘20s and the 19th Century Barbary Coast look like monasteries by comparison.
But even for Medellin, this was a shocking burst of mindless violence.
Colombia wasn’t always an international outlaw. It was here that the great Simon Bolivar threw the Spaniards out of the New World and introduced the first democracy in South America. It was, in some ways, a beacon of enlightenment.
A World Cup, in some cases, is nationalism gone mad. But not even runaway drug trafficking could give Colombia the international image some enraged “patriots” with guns gave it last week. It didn’t do much for soccer’s image either.
It cost the life of a bright young athlete, Andres Escobar. He was brutally slain outside a Medellin restaurant by self-appointed executioners. His crime? He accidentally scored the goal by which the United States defeated Colombia in the first round of World Cup competition. An accident. A bit of misfortune. Happens all the time in net sports from hockey to basketball.
Colombia came into the World Cup as one of the favorites. It was 7-1 on the morning line. Only Germany and Brazil (4-1) had shorter prices.
The United States was held at 200-1. Therefore, there was no reason for anyone to expect the North Americans to defeat Colombia in the opening round. And they wouldn’t have – except for a ball that ricocheted off Escobar’s foot accidentally into his own goal. Because that goal lost the game and prevented Colombia from advancing, it aroused a terrible passion in some of his countrymen, a murderous rage.
It is a tragic example of the psychological damage chauvinistic rooting can engender. The my-country-can-beat-your-country complex gone stark raving mad.
Is the World Cup format itself to blame? Well, we have seen an instance of a match triggering a war (El Salvador vs. Honduras). Even victories have triggered riots. And fatalities.
But sports fans have lived with disappointments before. It goes with the territory. No one ostracized Fred Merkle for his “bonehead” play – failing to touch second – costing the Giants the pennant in 1908. When Roy Riegels ran the wrong way in the Rose Bowl in 1929, it went into the lore and literature, of the game, not on any police blotter. There is some evidence memory of that event left some scars on Riegels’ psyche, but the facts of the matter are, the rest of America thought it was funny.
Today, there’s a good chance a man – or woman – who commits a classic boo-boo could become a national hero of sorts. It’s for sure they’d be on all the talk shows, probably get a shoe endorsement or two and probably a line of Wrong Way soft drink products. They would be invited to cut supermarket ribbons and attain celebrity status and be widely held to be surrogate for every guy who ever left the water running or the keys in the car or his wallet in the restaurant or lost a winning lottery ticket.
When winning becomes, literally, life or death, it’s time to examine priorities. It’s all right to cheer for your school, your town, your country. But when it goes beyond good-natured cheering, it gets ugly. It has always made me uneasy to see fans show up for Olympic Games draped in flags or signs and howling “USA!” on one side and booing fine athletes from other countries on the other. Olympic Games have always been held to be contests between individuals, not countries. You cheer for a great athlete like Pele or Carl Lewis regardless of the colors of his uniform.
It’s unfortunate for a sport and a format that had finally seemed to be gaining wide, enthusiastic acceptance in this country. Soccer sold out practically wherever it was staged in the United States. We had finally been let in on a grand international party, and we liked it. It was like your first prom.
It will probably be won by Brazil or Germany, It always is. But whoever wins, it might be beside the point. It will not be known for that. It will be known for Murder in Medellin.
World Cup football might have taken a bullet to the belly too. We don’t know who won World Cup ’94. But we know who lost it.  All of us.

Reprinted with permission by the Los Angeles Times

JOHN WOODEN
1910 – 2010

LOS ANGELES — John Wooden, college basketball’s gentlemanly Wizard of Westwood who built one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports at UCLA and became one of the most revered coaches ever, has died. He was 99.      http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/news/story?id=5253601

We at the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation extend our deepest sympathy to the Wooden Family and to the millions of John Wooden fans. ~ JMMF

APRIL 4, 1975, SPORTS
Copyright 1975/THE TIMES MIRROR COMPANY

JIM MURRAY

He Dared Stand Alone

Don’t bang the drums slowly. Don’t muffle the caissons, or lead a riderless horse. Strike up the band. Let the trumpets roll. Never mind the 21-gun salute, just bring a plate of fudge. Raise your glasses in a toast if you must – but fill them with malted milk.
John Wooden is not going out as a great general or field leader. This is not Old Blood and Guts or Old Hickory, this is Mr. Chips saying goodbye.
John Wooden never wanted to be thought of as a fiery leader. Life to him was a one-room schoolhouse with pictures of George Washington, Christ and a pair of crossed flags. Outside, the pumpkins ripening under a harvest moon. A pedagogue is all he ever wanted to be or remembered as. A simple country teacher.
His precepts were right off a wall motto. His idols were gentle Hoosier poets, not the purple-prose artists of the sports pages. A reserve guard stumbled out of a pregame meeting once to mumble in some shock to a frat brother, “Our game plan is by Edgar A. Guest, and our front line seems to be made up of Faith, Hope and Charity.”
John Wooden, someone once said, was “the only basketball coach from the Old Testament – “St. John,” who walked to work across Santa Monica Bay.
His lifestyle was embodied in a cornerstone of philosophy which he called the “Pyramid of Success,” which looked like a collection of Horatio Alger titles. They were real easy to follow – if you lived in a convent.
His basketball was 20th century, but his life lessons were B.C. “Dare to be Daniel! Dare to stand alone!”  He spouted more poems than Lord Byron. Most of his thoughts for the day had a strong odor of new-mown hay about them or sycamores in the candlelight, and sometimes the ghetto kids from New York, more used to subway graffiti than “The Old Oaken Bucket” or “Moonlight Along The Wabash,” wished he’d stick to setting picks.
Critics contend that it was easy to put your faith in the Bible when your center was between 7 and 8 feet tall and as agile as an acrobat, but that you would have to turn to more recent works when your whole team could come to the games in a single Volkswagen. Wooden went out and won NCAA championships with nothing more than 6’5” centers and the Book of Leviticus.
In the world of modern sport, piety in a coach is as suspect as piety in a faro dealer. The fabric of recruitment is as corrupt as a military junta, and it was hard to believe anyone in it could not sooner or later be found in possession of 30 pieces of silver he couldn’t account for.
Every time John Wooden hinted at retirement in recent years, the scribes – to say nothing of the Pharisees – nodded sagely and said, “Aha! Now comes the NCAA investigation!” So, Wooden would get tight-lipped – and stay on for another two years.
An act like this might have been hard to maintain at a little church school in the middle of the Dakotas. At UCLA, a campus surrounded by Gomorrah by the Sea, it was believed impossible. No one believed the mysteries of zone defense could be equated with Deuteronomy, but Wooden quietly went his winning way with the Bible in one hand and a basketball in the other.
When he came to UCLA, basketball was such a poor relation in intercollegiate sports that the team barely had matching uniforms. It was considered a refuge for guys too little or too timid for football and too slow or too tall for track.
By the time he left, football was becoming the poor relation. One coach fled all the way to Georgia Tech when an alum called him up on the eve of the USC football game and asked him if there was any way he could use his influence to get the old grad basketball tickets.
Mentors are in the shortest supply in college athletics. Baseball is a soloist sport, as is most of track, wrestling, or even net sports. But football and basketball belong to the coach. A Rockne, Howard Jones, an Amos Alonzo Stagg, Adolph Rupp, a Vince Lombardi comes along only once a generation. And so does a John Wooden.
Wooden’s monument may not be a gym, an arena, a plaque, or a fading picture on a wall. It may not even be this assortment of champions or his legacies to the pros. It may be a standard of play which made Saturday’s Louisville-UCLA and Monday’s Kentucky-UCLA games possibly the best pure basketball games ever played at the college level. Wooden went out a winner for the 10th time but the real winner was the game he left behind.
But the campus need not be given over to ribbons of black, or the mournful tread of a dirge. As long as Wooden basketball is played, Wooden will be a UCLA.
Notre Dame didn’t sink to intramural football when Rockne left and, while the UCLA teams may not be co-coached by James Whitcomb Riley, or Matthew, Mark, Luke and John with an assist from George Ade anymore, the true believers are like the undergrad who found a coed weeping because coach Wooden had gone off to join the ages. “So what?” he shrugged. “After all, it’s only the three days!”

Reprinted with permission by the Los Angeles Times.

TWENTY YEARS AGO, ON APRIL 12, 1990,  JIM MURRAY WAS AWARDED THE PULITZER PRIZE IN JOURNALISM FOR DISTINGUISHED COMMENTARY. JIM MURRAY WAS ONE OF FOUR (4) SPORTS COLUMNISTS TO EVER RECEIVE A PULITZER PRIZE, AND THE ONLY SPORTS COLUMNIST WEST OF THE HUDSON RIVER!
Arthur Daley (1956); Red Smith (1976); Dave Anderson (1980); Jim Murray (1990)

Jim Murray's 1990 Pulitzer Prize

We at the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation would like to share with you quotes from personal letters Jim received  after being presented this prestigious award.

PULITZER PRIZE – QUOTES FROM PERSONAL LETTERS RECEIVED

“I’m old enough to have read the best of Arthur Daley, Red Smith and Dave Anderson, but the Jim Murray work is at the “head of the class.”

-President Gerald R. Ford 4/30/90

“When someone has brought as much joy and enlightenment to others as you have, he sure as hell deserves something terrific in return.”

-Jack Lemmon 4/17/90

“Let me add my name to the long list of those offering sincerest congratulations on your lastest and most deserved honor. Not many guys have a Spink and a Pulitzer and you certainly deserve both.”
-Jack Lang, Executive Secretary, Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America, 4/20/90

“I’m glad your excellent sportswriting has been recognized, because I’ve always considered you one of the fairest, most knowledgeable writers around.”
- Pete Rose 4/16/90

“Congratulations. It’s about time!”
-Gene Kelly 4/13/90

“Congratulations on winning the Pulitzer Prize – we are thrilled but not  surprised.”
-Gloria & Jimmy Stewart  4/13

“You have a true gift for writing in a way that makes all sports fans look forward to the morning paper. Your writing enriches our lives and I am proud to be among your many fans.”
-President Ronald Reagan 4/13/90

“It’s about time the prize committee came to their senses and gave the prize to the one man who could retire the trophy if he wanted to.”
-George F. Will   4/17/90

“Congratulations on receiving the Nobel Prize for Sports Commentary. You certainly are deserving of his honor, and I should know.”
- Gene Autry  4/18/90

“If I wrote you a congratulatory letter every time I think you deserve one you’d be hearing from me every day.  Re: The Pulitzer Prize – applause, applause, applause!”
- SteveAllen 4/18/90

“Day after day, your ability to intellectually, humorously and realistically examine the world of sports through your microscopic eyes, has proved to be as important to me (and countless readers) as my orange juice, coffee and cereal.”
-Monty Hall   4/19/90

“For a man that gives so much pleasure to others, this is a well-deserved recognition.”
-Kirk Douglas  4/20/90

“The Pulitzer Prize awarded you is long overdue and the coverage in today’s Sports Section afforded all your readers endless satisfaction and joy.”
-Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg 4/13/90

“Thank God you and Red (Smith) turned out to be long-lived and avoided early retirement. For whatever it’s worth, I think you and Red are the two greatest talents of my era. No one else comes close.”
-Joe McGuff, Editor and Vice President, The Kansas City Star      4/20/90

“Red Smith and Jim Murray. Those two winners alone keep the Pulitzer at the front of the pack.”
-Tom Brokaw, NBC News4-16-90

“Congratulations on your Pulitzer. It certainly is overdue. I am very proud of you. Nobody deserves one more. It’s a great day for Jim Murray and for all of us associated with the Times.”
-Tom Johnson (former Editor, Los Angeles Times)  4-12-90

“The Pulitzer Committee has finally recognized what everyone who has read your columns has know for years!”
-Joe Tanenbaum, Gulfstream Park Racing Association, Inc., 4-19-90

“For all of us who are your fans, you won this prize years ago and many times, but it is nice to see “them” make it official.”
-Jack Whitaker/ABC Sports

“Judge Crater is found. Roy Riegels ran the right way. Jim Murray has won the Pulitzer Prize.”
- Tom Callahan,  Washington Post 4-15-90

“I always said you’d be a success one day. I am pleased and proud to have served with you. Did you get the prize for your funniest lines – your expense accounts?”
-Bill Shirley, former Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times  4/12/90

“It gave me great pleasure to read of your winning it (the Pulitzer), as it was a great pleasure just to be in the same industry with you and best of all, on the same sports page with you.”
- Al Cartwright, International Association of Sports Museums and Halls of Fame

“Without question, your award was a popular one, not only at the Los Angeles Times, but throughout the country.”
- Robert F. Erburu, Chairman of the Board and CEOTimes Mirror Co. 5/24/90

And then Jim wrote …

“I’m perfectly astonished at getting a Pulitzer Prize. Joseph Pulitzer and Horace Greeley must be spinning in their graves. I always thought you had to bring down a government to win this. All I ever did was quote Tommy Lasorda accurately.”
-Jim Murray, April 1990

“One of the nicest things about the Pulitzer was the elation of my friends. Frankly, that was my Pulitzer and I’m grateful to the Pulitzer Committee for making it possible to hear from so many old pals and to share the honor with them.”
-Jim Murray, April 1990

“This is going to make it a little easier on the guy who writes my obit!”
-  -Jim Murray, April 1990

Dear Friends ~

“THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX” has been our mantra this past year to determine opportunities that would offset the JMMF’s fundraising deficits due to a troubled economy. Then, it suddenly occurred to me to jump INSIDE the box in search of gifts wrapped in smaller packages.

The JMMF has created two new scholarship funds: the Murray Scholars Alumni Association Scholarship Fund and the JMMF Essay Judges’ Scholarship Fund. The Murray Scholars are collectively building an annual JMMF journalism scholarship in the amount of $5,000. The judges who were involved in the selection process for naming the annual Murray Scholars have created their own scholarship fund through the JMMF.

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s annual $5,000 “general operating expense” Grant for the past decade has been redirected to support one JMMF journalism scholarship in the name of JMMF Board member, Gregory R. Dillon, who passed away in February 2009. Mr. Dillon also served on the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Board of Directors.

So, what did I find wrapped in smaller packages inside the “box”? Books. Books are not extinct. I don’t own a Kindle, Kindell, Kindel, or however you spell it. Visiting Authors Programs and book signings are still alive and doing well. I was guest speaker at Rancho La Quinta Country Club and signed copies of “Jim Murray: Last of the Best” and “Jim Murray: The Great Ones” books, with proceeds donated to the JMMF. I was elated to see as many men in the audience as there were women. On a Saturday afternoon in February?  All Jim Murray fans, of course.

Then, I found a football in the “box”. Thanks to Bobby April, Buffalo Bills’ Special Teams Coach, and members of the Bills’ Retired Players Association, the Bills partnered with the JMMF in April for a “Buffet with the Bills” fundraiser at Ilio DiPaolo’s Italian Restaurant & Ringside Lounge in Blasdell, NY. Three St. Bonaventure Murray Scholars, along with J-school dean, Lee Coppola, were on hand to meet and greet, along with Rick Woodson, adjunct professor at State University at Brockport (NY) J-school.

Next, I found golf clubs in the “box.” The “Jimmies Invitational” Charity Golf Tournament hosts, Mark Khatoonian and Greg Cotten, designated the JMMF to receive the proceeds from its third annual event at Tijeras Creek Golf Club in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, on Saturday April 25, for which we were extremely grateful and look forward to an ongoing relationship with “The Jimmies.”

Jim Murray columns were in that “box”, too! With the launching of “Mondays with Murray” on the JMMF website, the increase of web hits was phenomenal. August 2008 produced 19,297 requests compared to an overwhelming 103,426 hits one year later. Are you a subscriber? Do you know about our gift offers with your donations? Log on to www.jimmurrayfoundation.org.

No matter how grim the situation, there are always surprises in that proverbial box. We haven’t reached the bottom yet. The JMMF Non-Event promises to be the best fundraiser, ever!

There is more good news. The Murray Scholars Gazette newspaper is not defunct. Yes, the 2009 publication is smaller in size, and less pages, but reading about the Murray Scholar alumni is as exciting as ever!

The JMMF Sports & Media Symposium was held at ESPN @LA Live, 11:30 AM-12:30 PM, Tuesday, December 1. To view the online video, go to

http://www.grunzychannel.net/JimMurrayMemorialFoundation12-1-09webversion.wmv

We extend special thanks to ESPN Sports Center host Neil Everett (moderator) and panel members J.A. Adande (ESPN.com), Helene Elliott (LA Times) and Mark Kriegel (FoxSports.com), and also to ESPN-LA Vice President /General Manager, Judi Cordray and her staff.

The 2009 Murray Scholars: Alyssa Rainbolt (University of Kansas), Amanda Anderson (University of Maryland), Andrew Pentis (Arizona State University), Denise Poventud (Trinity College-Hartford), and Charlie Specht (St. Bonaventure University) were recognized December 1st at the Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Hornets basketball game during halftime, center court, at Staples Center. What a memorable evening for these young journalists. The next stop will be press row, press boxes and press tents!

Now that most of us have mastered LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc., there is no excuse not to know about the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation and its journalism scholarships honoring the legacy of its namesake.

With the newspaper industry plagued with layoffs and buyouts, there are still students who love to write and wish to pursue a degree in journalism. As Jim Murray often said, “You can’t stop a writer from writing.”

There is hope, joy and success for our Murray Scholars as they venture into the shrinking world of the original “Fourth Estate.” The JMMF motto is “Honesty, Humility and Integrity.” By maintaining these qualities, our scholarship winners will always be held to a higher standard while bearing the mantle “Murray Scholar.”

Last but not least, we are proud to welcome two new JMMF Board members: Erin Gilhuly, president and founder of CV Strategies in Indian Wells, Calif., and ESPN SportsCenter anchor, Neil Everett.  They each bring to the Board vast backgrounds in journalism and a sincere passion for the JMMF mission and goals.

On behalf of the JMMF Board of Directors and the Murray Scholar alumni, I thank you all for your ongoing financial gifts as we move into our second decade of enriching the lives of future sports journalists.

Warmest regards,

Linda McCoy-Murray
President & Founder
Jim Murray Memorial Foundation

As a rule, I do not travel east of Palm Springs between November 1st and May 1st, unless my destination is south of the Mason-Dixon line. I hate cold weather! And, from past experience, I know April weather during Masters week in Augusta can be iffy, at best.

After a two-night stay in Atlanta with #1 Geezer Furman Bisher, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and his lovely wife, Lynda, son Bill McCoy and I headed to Reynolds Plantation on April 7th in rain, near freezing temps, and SNOW. Connecting with our Reynolds friends, Linda and Bill Dudley, we layered ourselves with scarves, gloves, vests and sunscreen (just in case) and headed to Augusta for the Par 3 tournament on Wednesday.

The Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA) 37th Annual Awards Dinner was Wednesday night, April 8, at the fabulous Savannah Rapids Pavilion (SRP), perched on an 80-foot bluff overlooking the beautiful Savannah River and the Historic Augusta Canal. Sandy Boner, SRP Manger of Rental Facilities & Venues, gets mega kudos from our foursome!

In tandem with Ron Sirak, executive editor of GolfWorld magazine and Jeri Gargano, ASAP Sports Vice-President, Marketing, it was my distinct honor to present Juli Inkster with the ASAP Sports/Jim Murray Award this year.

It was a fabulous reunion with the golf scribes, plus dear friends and honorees Jack (and Barbara) Nicklaus, Jay Haas, Furman Bisher, and Art Spander who received the PGA of America Lifetime Achievement Award.

Saturday, April 18, 2009, was the “Sports Dinner Buffet with the Buffalo Bills” benefiting the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation at Ilio DiPaolo’s sports restaurant, 3785 South Park Avenue, Blasdell, NY 14219 www.iliodipaolos.com. Thank you, Bills Assistant Coach/Speial Teams, Bobby April.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009, St. Bonaventure University hosted its biennially Dick Joyce Sports Symposium at The Russell J. Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Olean, NY, sponsored by Bona grads Jim Kendrick, ’60 (Joyce’s classmate) and Chris La Placa, Sr., VP. Corporate Communications, ESPN, Inc. J-school dean, Lee Coppola, put together a fabulous line-up of sports and media gurus to discuss “How Television Views and Covers Sports.” Bonaventure’s Director of Athletics, Steve Watson, gave Welcome remarks. Mark Kriegel, national columnist, FOXSports.com, was an outstanding Keynote Speaker. Actually, Mark had everyone spellbound with his riveting remarks.

Other participants were NBA columnist for Yahoo! Sports, Adrian Wojnarowski, Vic Carucci, Senior Columnist/NFL.COM, Jeff D’Alessio, editor-in-chief, Sporting News, Steve Arvan, director, Time Warner Cable Sports Media, Bona grads Mike Vaccaro, sports columnist, New York Post, and Jim Marchiony, Associate Athletic Director External Relations, University of Kansas.

En route back to L.A., I stopped in Chicago to meet with Clark Bell, Director, Journalism Program, McCormick Foundation (MF) and Donald Cooke, Senior Vice President, Philanthropy, at the MF. Former L.A. Times Publisher *David Hiller, who serves on the MF Board of Directors, also attended the meeting. The McCormick Foundation has been a solid grant supporter of the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation for the past 10 years, and continues to champion our journalism scholarship program.

*Congratulations, David Hiller! On MAY 18, 2009, the Board of Directors of the McCormick Foundation announced the appointment of David D. Hiller as president and chief executive officer, effective in July. Hiller replaces David L. Grange, who will be retiring at the end of June.

Saturday, April 25, 2009, the Third Annual Jimmies Invitational Charity Golf Tournament at Tijeras Creek Golf Club, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., benefiting the JIM MURRAY MEMORIAL FOUNDATION, was a fun-filled day. Nearly $1,400 was raised for our journalism scholarship program. Thanks to all the participants and volunteers who helped make this year’s event the best!

The next day, Sunday, April 26th, my dear friends movie producer, writer, actor Kim Waltrip and The Desert Sun’s society news director Betty Francis, (and prima ballerina Valerie Mahabir, founder of the Desert Youth Ballet) were honored by the National League of American Pen Women luncheon at Wally’s Desert Turtle.

Now a word about our new JMMF Board member, Erin Gilhuly.

Erin is the founder of CV Strategies, a Southern California-based strategic communications firm specializing in building and implementing comprehensive communications programs. Prior to starting the company, Gilhuly spent nearly two decades in broadcast newsrooms across Southern California. Most recently, she was News Director at KPSP Local 2, the CBS affiliate in Palm Springs. A Los Angeles native and a graduate of USC’s School of Journalism, Erin lives in Indio with her husband and three children.

“I am truly privileged work with a group of individuals so deeply committed to celebrating good storytellers,” says Erin. “It’s legends like Jim Murray who taught me how crucial writing and reporting skills are to America’s newsrooms and its audiences. It is absolutely thrilling to continue his remarkable legacy through this appointment.”

Murray Scholars celebrating June birthdays:

June 4th Orr Shtuhl – 2006 Murray Scholar, UNC-Chapel Hill
June 8th Gabe Khouli – 2007 Murray Scholar, Ball State University
June 15th Peter Bulger – 2005 Murray Scholar, University of Montana
June 24th Adam Karon – 2000 Murray Scholar, UCLA

Congratulations 2009 Murray Scholar graduates!

The ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN SPORTS MEDIA CONVENTION (AWSM) was May 22-24, in PHILADELPHIA at the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia-Center City. We owe major thanks to Title Sponsor ESPN, plus MLB.com/MLB ADVANCED MEDIA, The Miami Herald, and The New York Times.

The National Constitution Center hosted the Opening Night Reception where we enjoyed a special screening of “Freedom Rising”, plus exhibits. Sports Illustrated’s senior writer, Selena Roberts, was the guest speaker.

Tonya Antonucci, Commissioner of Women’s Professional Soccer, spoke at Saturday’s breakfast. Antonucci spent more than seven years with Yahoo, Inc. She was director of Yahoo! Sports and Yahoo! Fantasy Sports, that she was instrumental in launching.

At the Saturday night dinner, two-time world champion hockey player, Caitlin Cahow, entertained AWSM members and guests with stories of her life experiences. Growing up outside New Haven, Conn., Cahow, 24, played boys youth hockey and girls club hockey. She went on to play at Harvard, where she played both hockey and lacrosse. She not only coaches players of all ages and abilities year-round and is general manager of a summer hockey team of high school and college players, Cahow writes a column for Ice Magazine.

The Miami Herald sports columnist, Linda Robertson, received the Mary Garber Pioneer Award at AWSM’s Sunday luncheon at Maggiano’s Italian restaurant. The annual award recognizes those who have paved the way and serve as role models for women in sports media.

Topics discussed at the convention were “Changing Careers with Grace”, “The Changing Face of the Sports Media Business”, “Crossing over into Academia”, Integrating Content Across Platforms”, “Pitching Stories in a Digital World”, and “Beyond Basic Blogging.” A few of the Moderators/Panelists for general sessions and breakout sessions were Rosa Gatti and Claire Smith of ESPN and Jena Janovy, ESPN.com, David Sell, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Terry Taylor, The Associated Press, Marie Hardin, Malcom Moran and Lori Shontz of Penn State University, Tom Jolly and Jason Stallman, The New York Times, Lindsay Jones, Denver Post, Jane McManus, The Journal News, and Lorraine DeliCarpini, MLB Network.

I would be remiss if I didn’t share a few personal Philly experiences with you. After a missed connection at DFW, I caught up with AWSM members Julie Ward and Marie Hardin for a late dinner at the new Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House in downtown Philadelphia. General Manager, Shang Skipper, my dear friend who was summoned to Philly a year ago from Sullivan’s Steakhouse in Palm Desert, Calif., opened the new Del Frisco’s in November 2008 at 1426 Chestnut Street. Wow! Wow! Wow! What an absolutely fabulous dining experience in a BANK in Philadelphia’s historic Packard Building.

The next day, with walking map in hand, Julie Ward, recently retired deputy sports editor at USA Today, and I set out to see “Rocky” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We flexed our muscles for a Kodak moment.

We were then off to Boathouse Row, snuggled between Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill River. Lloyd Hall, Fairmount Park’s recreation center, is at #1 Boathouse Row. Eleven additional structures house rowing clubs who are members of the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia, the oldest athletic governing body in America.

Quite by accident, we stumbled onto the ever-popular Water Works restaurant above the Schuylkill River. This Greek Revival building, built between 1819 and 1822, was the first municipal waterworks in the United States. My first dining experience at Water Works was September 11, 2007. I could not believe my good fortune to return to the WW for lunch on this magnificent spring day.

Last by not least, a Phillies game on Memorial Day! Sportingnews.com baseball writer, Christine Carafalsa, and I headed out to Citizens Bank Park for the SRO Phillies-Marlins game. Even with a 5-3 loss, it was great fun to watch the 2009 World Series Champions play ball at home. We also stopped by to see two or the four 10-foot foot tall bronze statues of Richie Ashburn and Steve Carlton created by world-renowned sculptor Zenos Frudakis. Statues are of Phillies Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt.

Please tell us how much you are enjoying the “Mondays with Murray” columns sent to you each Monday by Constant Contact, or better yet, visit the JMMF website, info@jimmurrayfoundation.org and click the DONATE button. Thank you!

And,finally, we are sad to report the passing of one of our dear friends and an original “Geezer”, Dan Foster, 80, on May 22. Dan retired in 2000 after 52 years at The Greenville News and The Greenville Piedmont. Annually he covered the Super Bowl, World Series, Masters and Kentucky Derby, and reported on his alma mater, Furman University, and the state’s two big sports universities — Clemson and South Carolina. Dan was a president of the National Football Writers Association, and in 1998, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He will be missed.

Have a safe and enjoyable summer.

Best to all,

Linda McCoy-Murray
President & Founder
Jim Murray Memorial Foundation

February was a short month compared to those months with 30 and 31 days and my calendar resembled that of a “cover-all” BINGO card except for two empty spaces.

On Tuesday, February 3, I had the pleasure of meeting Emmy Award-Winning PBS Journalist Charlie Rose at the Indian Wells, Calif. Desert Town Hall Speakers’ Series. “An Evening with Charlie Rose” was held at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa. Bob Walsh, the most fabulous general manger of the Esmeralda, invited me as his guest.

Charlie remembered having Jim Murray on his show back in 1993 when Jim was on book tour with “Jim Murray: An Autobiography”, and admitted it was one of his best shows. I’ve met presidents, dignitaries and many sports figures, but I must say, meeting Charlie Rose ranks at the top of my very special moments in life, and certainly beats whatever came in second and third.

The USC Annenberg School for Communication hosted a noon lunch on Thursday, February 12, for the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation. JMMF Board member Bill McCoy joined me for a “show and tell” of Jim Murray’s Pulitzer Prize, Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame ring, original copies of the two “Dummy” issues of Sports Illustrated and Sports Illustrated’s first official issue, dated August 16, 1954. The JMMF Scholarship Program was discussed with students in attendance. 2008 USC Murray Scholar Alex Herbach was on hand to tell his up close and personal story. USC currently has five Murray Scholars: Ryan Pearson (2000); Arash Markazi (2002); Ben Malcolmson (2004); Dallas Woodburn (2007), and Herbach (2008).

February 12 would have been Jim Murray’s 48th anniversary with the Los Angeles Times. From the JMMF archives, I shared the original LA Times sports section dated Sunday, February 5, 1961, announcing “Jim Murray to Write Feature Sports Column in Times” starting February 12.

JaBari Brown, Assistant Director, Undergraduate Student Services, pointed out another important BOLD headline above the fold, TROJANS HUMBLE UCLA, 78-63. USC’S high-scoring center at the time was John Rudometkin.

Another piece of memorabilia everyone enjoyed was the program from The University of Southern California Journalism Alumni Association’s (in cooperation with the School of Journalism) Ninth Annual Awards Dinner for Distinguished Achievement in Journalism, November 14, 1968, in the Grand Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Bob Crane, star of Hogan’s Heroes” was the Toastmaster; the Welcome given by USC President Dr. Norman Topping; and awards presented to NBC news broadcaster, Frank McGee; LA Times Syndicated Sports Columnist, Jim Murray, and William F. Buckley, Jr., editor, National Review, and syndicated columnist.

It was Friday the 13th but no one noticed. Superstitions were left at the door. I was the guest speaker at Rancho La Quinta Country Club’s “Breakfast with the Author” series, thanks to Rosanne McCamey, director of Membership/Social. Before signing “Jim Murray: Last of the Best” and “Jim Murray: The Great Ones”, compilations of Jim Murray columns published in book form, nearly 50 Club members gathered to hear and share their favorite Jim Murray stories. Jim’s picking on cities brought out the best in all the guests, but the favorite was, “Palm Springs is an inland sandbar man has wrestled from the rodents and the Indians to provide a day camp for the over-privileged adults.”

We at the JMMF send best wishes to Rosanne McCamey as she recovers from her recent open-heart surgery at UCLA Medical Center.

Tournament Director Judy Vossler commandeered me for a second year as a volunteer for the 21st Frank Sinatra Starkey Hearing Foundation Celebrity Invitational Friday, Feb 20-21. How can anyone say NO to Judy? I would jump off a cliff for her … well, almost! Plus, there is no better spot on either the Classic or Cove Course at Indian Wells Country Club than the Jack Daniels tent. Just to spend time with Angelo Lucchesi’s and hear his stories is a magical experience. Angelo, with Jack Daniels since 1953, was the first company salesman to market and sell the product, Sinatra’s favorite drink, outside of Tennessee. Angelo was Sinatra’s longtime friend.

JMMF advocate and Beverly Hills 213 columnist, Jim Bacon, 95, was the inaugural Tournament Grand Marshall. Way to go, Jim.

The JMMF has been exploring opportunities to work with creative writing programs at high schools, so when DooDee Rover, President Emeritus at Xavier College Prep School in Palm Desert, invited me for a campus tour on Monday, Feb 23, I didn’t hesitate.

Xavier College Prep is the first and only Catholic high school east of the Riverside/San Bernardino corridor and west of the Arizona border. It is also the first lay-built, Jesuit-endorsed high school of its kind and is associated with the six other Jesuit high schools in the California Province.

Established in 2006, Xavier College Prep currently has 235 students in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. A 12th grade was added for the 2009-2010 school year and will graduate its first class in 2010.
*
Wow! Did we have an exciting morning at Los Angeles City Hall on Friday, Feb 27. Councilmember, 4th District, Tom LaBonge presented the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation with a beautiful Resolution recognizing the JMMF ~ and recipients of the Murray Scholars scholarship award ~ for its continuing contributions to the field of journalism. The Resolution is signed by Councilmember LaBonge, the Mayor, the President of the City Council and all Councilmembers. JMMF Board members attending the presentation were Helene Cohen, Bill McCoy and Arash Markazi, along with his fellow USC Murray Scholars Ben Malcolmson and Dallas Woodburn. JMMF supporters Joann Klonowski, Erin Gilhuly and Lance Watsky were also present.

Dallas Woodburn followed up with an email saying, “Dear Linda, I wanted to congratulate you again on what an incredible honor for the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation to be recognized and thanked by the City of Los Angeles! What a fantastic and exciting day! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the ceremony at City Hall — I had a wonderful time! It was great to see you, as always, and celebrating with the other SC Murray Scholars and JMMF Board members was a blast. I am so proud to be a Murray Scholar!
Love, Dallas
*
On Sunday, March 22, Jim Murray was inducted (posthumously) into the California Sports Hall of Fame, along with Rosey Grier, Steve Garvey, Ann Meyers Drysdale, Karch Kiraly and Mike Powell.

Christian Okoye, president and founder of the CSHF and former All-Pro running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, staged a fabulous evening.
*
That pretty much wraps up February’s activities, except for a few Murray Scholar updates, and other honorable mentions.

• Gabriel Khouli (’07 Ball State Univ) is now Local Government Reporter at The Covington News
• Emily Gresh (’00 Trinity College) is now Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Trinity College-Hartford
• Kyle Austin (’08 Syracuse Univ) is wrapping up the last couple months of the school year, before heading to Detroit to cover the Tigers for MLB.com.

The JMMF has a new Board member. Erin Gilhuly, an Emmy award winning journalist with more than 18 years experience in the communications industry, is President and co-founder of CV Strategies. (media release to follow soon!)

March 13, 2009 http://scripps.com/foundation/news/rele ases/09march13.html
Scripps Howard Foundation Announces National Journalism Awards Winners

JOURNALISM TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Charles Davis, associate professor of journalism studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia, receives $10,000 and the Charles E. Scripps award. His school also receives a $5,000 grant. The award is given in cooperation with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

JOURNALISM ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR
Marilyn Weaver, chair of the department of journalism at Ball State University, Muncie, Ind., receives $10,000 and the Charles E. Scripps award. Her school also receives a $5,000 grant. The award is given in cooperation with the Association for Educati on in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Congratulations to Charles Davis and Marilyn Weaver who serve on the JMMF National Scholastic Advisory Council.

And, a quick reminder of upcoming events.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009, Linda McCoy-Murray will present LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster with the ASAP/Jim Murray Sports Award at the GWAA Awards Dinner in Augusta, Ga.

Saturday, April 18, 2009, “Sports Dinner Buffet with the Buffalo Bills” benefiting the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation at Ilio DiPaolo’s sports restaurant, 3785 South Park Avenue, Blasdell, NY 14219 www.iliodipaolos.com. Those attending are Bobby April, Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams; Perry Fewell, Defensive Coordinator; Jon Corto, Bills Linebacker; Bryan Scott, Bills’ Safety (Penn State); and retired Bills’ players from the ’60s, ’70′s, ’80s and ’90s. St. Bonaventure University Murray Scholars will be on hand, along with SBU’s J-school deaN, Lee Coppola, JMMF Board member Helene Cohen and Linda McCoy-Murray.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009, St. Bonaventure University will host its bi-annual Sports Symposium. Linda McCoy-Murray and JMMF Board member Helene Cohen will attend.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009, St. Bonaventure University will host its bi-annual Sports Symposium. Linda McCoy-Murray and JMMF Board member Helene Cohen will attend.

Saturday, April 25, 2009, Third Annual Jimmies Invitational Charity Golf Tournament, Tijeras Creek Golf Club, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. to benefit the JIM MURRAY MEMORIAL FOUNDATION. Registration 11:00 am; Shotgun start 1:00 pm; Join us for a fantastic day of golf.
Sign-up: info@jimmiesgolf.com or www.jimmiesgolf.com.

Thanks for your support of the JMMF and its journalism scholarship program. We hope you are enjoying “Mondays with Murray” e-blasts. We love hearing your kudos, but most of all, we appreciate your donations (PAY PAL) to keep the JMMF financially sound. If you are not in our database, please contact us at info@jimmurrayfoundation.org.

Next edition of “Lines from Linda” will appear the end of April.

Best to all,

Linda

Is it really March?  March 2009?  January and February blew by me like Ashley Force at the Winternationals.  The JMMF March newsletter will be posted soon; meanwhile, here’s our January update.

I headed over to the Ontario (Calif.) Hilton for the Association of Automobile Race Writers and Broadcasters (AARWB) annual awards dinner on Saturday night, January 10th.  What fun it was to catch up with old friends Dusty Brandel, president of AARWB, retired racing PR guru, Deke Houlgate (read his new novel “Blood on the Wall”, Infinity Publishing) and wife Olga, who now reside in Carlsbad, Calif., T.E. McHale, manager of Motorsports Public Relations at American HONDA in Torrance, NHRA President Tom Compton and NHRA Director of Public Relations, Michael Padian.

What a delight it was to meet Chris Economaki’s daughter, Corinne, who reports great news that my dear friend, Chris, age 88, is doing very well in Midland Park, NJ. Former motorsports commentator, pit road reporter, and journalist, Chris is known as “The Dean of American Motorsports.”

Lois and Peter Bryant of Las Vegas introduced themselves and announced they have been receiving the JMMF e-blasts for quite sometime and enjoy reading Jim’s vintage LA Times columns. Peter’s company, Automotive Engineering & CAD Design, specializing in race car chassis & suspension design, has a new book out, “Can-Am Challenger”, foreword by Jackie Oliver, and published by David Bull Publishing. London-born Peter tells his own story in his own engaging style.

Backing up for a moment, dinner at the Ontario (Calif.) Firehouse was Friday, January 2.  JMMF Board member Helene Cohen outbid everyone at the JMMF annual silent auction for a chance to repeat a scrumptious dinner at the Firehouse prepared by firefighter Gilbert Ayon.

The Bob Hope Classic celebrated its 50th anniversary January 21-25 here in La Quinta. The 18th annual “Murray Media Pour” was held on Friday at my La Quinta home and enjoyed by my Fourth Estate pals.  LA Times sports columnist, Chuck Culpepper, based in London, here for a 5-week PGA Tour assignment, and AP’s LA bureau sports editor, Ken Peters, dazzled JMMF patron guests with sports amazing stories.

John “Noodle” Nadel is officially retired after 32 years with the Associated Press Los Angeles Bureau.  Some 150+ friends and co-workers attended a retirement reception for Noodle (an ASU Cronkite School alum) on Saturday evening, January 31, at the Stadium Club at Dodger Stadium. Ken Peters was a funny master of ceremonies, upstaged only by co-workers Justin and Sue who presented Noodle with joke gifts with the theme “New Career Options for John.”  Once again it was reunion time for me and I realized how much I have missed seeing former LA Times sports writer Steve Springer and AP’s fabulous premier courtroom reporter, Linda Deutsch.

2008 University of Montana Murray Scholar Bill Oram checked in the other day to say the lovely, historic Columbia Gorg Hotel, located on the Hood River, has closed abruptly due to foreclosure proceedings. Bill says the hotel in Oregon “… has long been where I intended to have my wedding (if the lucky lady were amenable). Bad news has struck: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/landmark_columbia_gorge_hotel.html  “

Mark Viera, ’08 Penn State Murray Scholar, writes to us about the weather in Happy Valley. “The often sub-freezing temperature often has me California Dreamin’, thinking about that wonderful week in Los Angeles. But I am definitely enjoying my last semester at Penn State.”

After graduation, Mark will be moving to D.C. to work for The Washington Post as a college sports reporter. In the fall and winter of 2009-2010, he will be covering Virginia Tech football and basketball. Then, in the spring/summer of 2010 he will be helping to cover the Washington Nationals; in addition, working on enterprise and features.

Mark adds, “And, funny enough, Bill Oram will be joining me in Washington this summer, when he will be joining The Post as a sports intern. He e-mailed me right away with the good news, and I could not have been happier.”

It warms my heart to know the Murray Scholars really are a family and keep in touch with one another.

The Washington Post will have four Murray Scholars for at least this summer: Joshua Partlow (2001), Zach Berman (2007), Bill Oram (2008), and Mark Viera (2008). As Mark puts it, “That speaks to “the good deeds in promoting Jim’s legacy through our journalism scholarship program,” for which the foundation is rightfully being recognized.”

2006 University of Florida Murray Scholar John Cox reports he’s “ … now working for a newspaper up in New England. I’d do just about anything thing to go back in time and relive my trip out there (in La Quinta).”

I will be speaking to the USC Annenberg J-school students Thursday, February 12. a few USC Murray Scholars are expected to join in the discussions, and Geneva Overholser, director of the School of Journalism, USC Annenberg School for Communication, will give the opening remarks!  Watch for a full report and photos in the JMMF March newsletter.

You are all very much aware how really tough times are right now with the economy. But, you know the old cliché, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!”  You might say the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation is not running sprints these days.  We’re up and running a proverbial marathon. Our journalism scholarships are very important for the next generation of sports writers who will continue to perpetuate Jim Murray’s legacy.

Won’t you please help sustain our fund raising efforts? If every Jim Murray fan made a token pledge, we would meet, and exceed, our goals for 2009 and beyond.  So, be a sweetheart during Valentine’s Day month … go to the JMMF website, www.jimmurrayfoundation.org, and click the DONATE button and support the JMMF.  I thank you so very much.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Linda McCoy-Murray
President & Founder

We at the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation ushered in the New Year 2009 while reflecting on the JMMF events of 2008.

Our JMMF 10th anniversary events were many, starting with a JMMF outing at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on August 16. Del Mar President Joe Harper rolled out the red carpet in the Directors’ Room to a dozen JMMF guests for a “Remembering Jim Murray” day at the races.

The following day, the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted a “Tribute to Jim Murray” at Dodger Stadium. JMMF Board members Bill McCoy, Helene Cohen and Arash Markazi were on the field with me as I threw out the first pitch. The next day the Dodgers traded me for Greg Maddux.

On September 15, I made a visit to Indiana University School of Journalism in Bloomington. It was a thrill to return to my Hoosier stomping grounds. After many years of working with Linda Long in Student Services at the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism, it was a pleasure to finally meet her, along with Dean Brad Hamm and his assistant, Judy Boruff. Prof. Jack Dvorak, chair of the J-school’s scholarship committee, and I found we have several mutual acquaintances, as did Nancy Comiskey, previously at the Indianapolis Star and now an Adjunct Lecturer who teaches Magazine Reporting and Newspaper Editing at IU. Ron Johnson, director of IU Student Media, is hoping to produce IU’s third Murray Scholar in 2009.

On Veteran’s Day, JMMF Board member, Helene Cohen, and I were in Lawrence, Kansas, for a first-time visit to University of Kansas. St. Bonaventure alum Jim Marchiony, now Associate Athletic Director of External Relations at KU, was a terrific host. We were Jim’s guests at the Jayhawks basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse. J-school faculty members Susanne Shaw, Scott Reinardy and Mike Williams are anticipating KU’s first Murray Scholar in 2009.

On October 29, the Southern California Golf Association inducted Jim Murray (posthumously) into its Hall of Fame.  What an honor it was to have LPGA Hall of Famer Amy Alcott join me for the presentation. Her remarks were poignant and entertaining.

The JMMF 10th Anniversary Awards Dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on October 30 was spectacular.  The 2008 Murray Scholars were honored, along with 2008 “Great Ones” Award honoree, Sugar Ray Leonard. Former USC and NFL quarterback, Rodney Peete, was on hand to present the award.  Fabulous NHRA drag racer Ashley Force received our 2008 Female Athlete of the Year Award, presented by her famous dad, NHRA drag racer John Force. JMMF 2007 “Great Ones” Award honoree, Luc Robitaille, presented his favorite sportswriter, Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times, with our 2008 Sportswriter of the Year Award.

Legendary sports photographer, Howard Bingham, accepted the JMMF 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award from his old pal, singer/songwriter Bill Withers. Who would deny they are a new comedy act on the horizon?

On November 28, Jim Murray was honored with the 317th Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. Bob Alexander, president of the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, presided at the 200 Palm Canyon Drive location. JMMF Board member Bill McCoy and I spoke at the unveiling, as many well-wishers lined the street.

The final 2008 JMMF event was a December 21st Birthday Brunch given for me at the home of my former Bel Air neighbor, Tim Misenhimer, and his co-host, JMMF Board member, Helene Cohen. Tim also celebrated his birthday on this “shortest day but longest night” date. In lieu of gifts, donations of nearly $1,800 were made to the JMMF. Not one gift was exchanged due to size, color or duplicates!

Also in 2008, Pay Pal was added to the JMMF website (www.jimmurrayfoundation.org) and we signed on to Constant Contact to make the JMMF newsletter more manageable.

As we move into the first month of 2009, JaBari Brown, assistant director of undergraduate student services at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, is selecting a January date for my campus visit to speak with the journalism students and faculty. Our five USC Murray Scholars will join in the discussions.

I will host the 17th annual “Murray Media Pour” at my La Quinta home the weekend of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.  The “MMP” was initiated in 1992 by Jim as an evening to “bend elbows and tell sporting tales” with a few of his golf writing colleagues. After Jim’s passing, I continued the “MMP” tradition. The names and faces have changed over the past decade, plus JMMF supporters, friends and neighbors are now included, making it an annual JMMF event.

Recognizing the current financial climate, many nonprofit organizations face fund raising challenges in 2009, including the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation. The JMMF Board of Directors voted to cut the number of scholarship awards from seven to five this year, and decrease the amount from $7,500 back to the original $5,000 per scholarship.

Through the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation, the next generation of sports writers will continue to perpetuate Jim Murray’s legacy. Our journalism scholarships are vitally important. We ask you to help sustain our fund raising efforts. If every Jim Murray fan made a token pledge, we would meet, and exceed, our goals for 2009 and beyond. And, for that, I thank you so very much.

Happy New Year!

Linda

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“ It was remarkable that Jim was so aware of what was going on at the moment, yet simultaneously be so much ahead of his time.  Maybe that’s why he had so many fans.  That, and the fact that he could “spin a great yarn,” with a style all his own.
~ Jack Fertig, 8/23/08
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In their own words …

By Bill Oram
2008 Murray Scholar
University of Montana

Being honored as a Murray Scholar this year was one of the most unique and memorable experiences of my life. It was rather like a perfect storm of amazing events: From staying at the Beverly Hilton, to mingling with great journalists, to talking hockey with Luc Robitaille, to meeting Linda, it was truly a humbling few days.

Before receiving the award, as an outsider, I had only a slight idea of what Linda McCoy-Murray and the rest of the JMMF board did for student journalists — now I recognize the great importance of the organization. To take a group of young sportswriters and honor them in the name of Jim Murray, the ultimate Great One, is probably more inspirational to a young writer — particularly in these tough times for the newspaper industry — than anything else.

Personally, it was just a thrill to be recognized and experience the neat sequence of events in Los Angeles. In addition to meeting a boatload of celebrities — not just from sports and journalism either — Kato Kaelin was there! — I was also fortunate to make contact with five other phenomenal young sportswriters. Journalism is already a small enough world, but the 2008 class of Murray Scholars is even more so. I can’t tell you how valuable it’s been to have those young men, who live all over the country, as resources and confidantes.

Not only were the banquets a thrill for me, but for my parents as well. My dad still talks about how “Sugar Ray Leonard is the most famous person I ever met … ” and my mom has her share of stories as well.

I suppose the ultimate point I’d like to get across is a big “thank you.” Thanks to those who support the JMMF, to the board, to the judges who gave me the opportunity to join such an exclusive and tight-knit family, but most of all to Linda. As you already know, Linda does more to further the ideals of Jim Murray than I could have ever fathomed. It’s a tremendous honor, and incredibly humbling to have been included, this year.

Cheers to all and best wishes for a New Year.

Bill Oram

Oram presented McCoy-Murray a University of Montana football jersey with her name on the back. “Linda is the face of the whole (JMMF) thing,” he said. “I wanted to take her a little taste of Montana.”

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After the October 30 JMMF 10th Anniversary Awards Dinner, Indiana University Murray Scholar Mom, Casey Sanserino of Fort Wayne, Ind., sent the following letter to Linda McCoy-Murray. With Casey’s permission, the letter is being shared with you.

Dear Linda,

I don’t think I’ll be able to express the intensity of my (our) gratitude.

When Michael called and told me about the $7,500 Jim Murray scholarship, I didn’t just cry like you were told, I sobbed like a baby. Michael is so thankful but really has no idea how long (years and years) it takes to pay back $7.500 worth of education. Linda and everyone else who works so hard – Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I want to share a special experience from our trip with you. My mother, Pat MacLeod, died suddenly five years ago this November 30th. She was a beautiful writer. She wrote many wise and wonderful fables featuring “Henrietta Hummingbird.” We miss her greatly.

Shortly after arriving at the Beverly Hilton, Steve, Mike and I sat outside in the beautiful Oasis garden with our coffee and snacks – each in awe over where we were and what was happening in the next couple days. A hummingbird appeared and began drinking the nectar from the gorgeous Bird of Paradise blooms right behind us. She was beautiful!!! Steve started to get his camera and I thought, “You’ll never get a shot – she’ll be gone,” but by God, she stayed the longest time. Steve got his picture and she was on her way. I said to Michael, expecting him to laugh at me, “You know, Michael, that was Grandma. He so lovingly said, “I know.”

My mom would have loved to meet you. Thank you for living your life as hard as you do. Don’t stop. If I can ever be of any help to you, please ask.

Love,
Casey