Mary Aileen Murray, 86, a professor of botany at DePaul University for more than 30 years, died of respiratory failure Thursday, July 26, in Weiss Memorial Hospital. Ms. Murray spent most of her youth in Phoenix, Ariz., graduating from the University of Arizona in 1936. She then taught high school English in Arizona before moving to Chicago in 1943. She received her doctorate in botany from the University of Chicago in 1945. Even as a child, Ms. Murray had an interest in plants and the outdoors, which she sought to share with others throughout her life. "We would go for walks in the woods and she would point out the mosses and ferns and talk about all of them," said her niece Nancy Murray. In 1948, Ms. Murray became a professor at DePaul University, where she worked until her retirement in 1982. Her friend Geri Harrington said Ms. Murray loved teaching, especially at DePaul. "If you went to DePaul, you could do no wrong," Harrington said. Survivors include a brother, Thomas H. Murray Jr. A mass will be said at 10:30 a.m. Friday in St. Gertrude Catholic Church, 1420 W. Granville Ave., Chicago.
Chicago Tribune, Aug 3, 2001, pg. 9
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