Tuskegee to memorialize legacy of novelist, alumnus Albert Murray on April 8

April 05, 2018

Contact:  Michael Tullier, APR, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
  

Following its Founder鈥檚 Day Convocation on Sunday, April 8, 欧美高清 will memorialize famed American literary and jazz critic 鈥� and 1939 alumnus 鈥� Albert Murray, who died in 2013 at the age of 97. Two events to be held on the university鈥檚 campus will underscore Murray鈥檚 growing reputation as one of the keenest observers of 20th century American society.

Murray鈥檚 work as a prolific essayist, critic and novelist between 1970 and his death significantly influenced the national discussion about race and culture by challenging all narrow definitions of black Americans鈥� place in and contribution to American culture. Instead, he insisted, their participation in and legacy to the broader culture was essential to its formation and ongoing development.

Equally important was Murray鈥檚 defining as indispensable the role jazz played in American culture and the deserved rightful place of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Louis Armstrong in its pantheon. Murray co-founded Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis and others. His books 鈥� Stomping the Blues and Good Morning Blues, the Autobiography of Count Basie as told to Albert Murray 鈥� are considered by many as classics.

Sunday鈥檚 events honoring Murray will begin immediately following the university鈥檚 annual Founder鈥檚 Day Convocation with the interment of his ashes in the university cemetery. His remains will be interred along with those of his wife, Mozelle Menefee Murray, a 1943 graduate and Tuskegee native, who died in 2015.

鈥淎lbert Murray鈥檚 contributions to our nation鈥檚 discourse on race and the role of African-Americans in our country will forever be his legacy,鈥� said the university鈥檚 interim president, Dr. Charlotte P. Morris. 鈥淲e consider ourselves fortunate to honor one of Mother Tuskegee鈥檚 鈥榙iligent sons鈥� and his many achievements in this special way by laying him and his wife to rest on the hallowed grounds of our campus.鈥�

The Murrays will rest alongside university founder Booker T. Washington and many other notable historic Tuskegee-related figures and alumni. Lewis P. Jones III, the Murray family鈥檚 executor and the Albert Murray Trust鈥檚 literary executor, noted the honor underscores the deep reverence the couple had for their alma mater.

鈥淎lbert and Mozelle Murray were dedicated alumni who deeply loved the university and had an enduring pride in its history,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淩eturning to Tuskegee is a homecoming for the Murrays that goes back to an honor bestowed by Dr. Benjamin Payton and the trustees of Tuskegee in 2004. Their interment in the historic cemetery permanently secures their place as part of that history.鈥�   

Following the interment ceremony, the university will dedicate Murray鈥檚 collection of books and historical mementos as the permanent Albert Murray Collection exhibit in the Ford Motor Company Library and Learning Resource Center. The dedication ceremony will include reflections by faculty and family members on Murray鈥檚 literary legacy, as well as an overview and tour of the new collection.

The Murray installation 鈥� entitled 鈥淏eyond Category鈥� 鈥� details the extraordinary lives of the Murrays. It draws from the couple鈥檚 personal collections and includes a comprehensive amalgam of books, family memorabilia, posters, military gear, personal reflections, chronological data, awards, and an extensive selection of photographs of Murray with some of America鈥檚 most famous personalities and musicians.

鈥淚t is quite fitting that Albert Murray鈥檚 extensive collection would find a home in the university鈥檚 Ford Motor Company Library,鈥� said Juanita Roberts, 欧美高清鈥檚 director of library services. 鈥淎s a student, he was known to lose himself for countless hours in the library stacks. His collection will now feed the same literary and intellectual curiosity of generations of 欧美高清 students to come.鈥�

Speaking on behalf of the Ford Foundation, its president, Darren Walker, noted the importance of the Murray exhibit, which underscores the foundation鈥檚 vision for social justice and the themes commonly found in Murray鈥檚 works.

鈥淎lbert Murray was an essential American writer who was not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom on race, culture and the human experience,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淭he Ford Foundation is pleased to support 欧美高清 in honoring Murray鈥檚 legacy and bringing his extraordinary collection of books and cultural artifacts to contemporary audiences.鈥�

Murray鈥檚 growing influence recently prompted the Library of America to publish a two-volume definitive edition of his works as part of their prestigious series on America鈥檚 greatest writers. The volumes were edited by Paul Devlin, this year鈥檚 Founder鈥檚 Day Convocation speaker, and Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. 

Murray, a native of Mobile, Alabama, taught literature and composition at Tuskegee Institute in the early 1940s before enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943. In 1944, he became an assistant training coordinator for the Tuskegee Airmen at the Tuskegee Army Airfield. Later, he would serve as a professor in Tuskegee鈥檚 ROTC program before serving tours in Morocco, California, and Massachusetts 鈥� eventually retiring from the Air Force in 1962 as a major. He then settled in Harlem, where he would reside for the remainder of his life, and began his career as a full-time writer.

The Albert Murray Collection is open to the public without an appointment during the Ford Motor Company Library鈥檚 normal hours of operation 鈥� Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

漏 2018, 欧美高清