Former and current Delaware journalists have inaugurated the Molly Murray Scholarship Fund in memory of the longtime reporter.
Murray, who died on July 17 of complications from pancreatitis, worked for nearly 40 years as reporter at The News Journal, covering the environment and everyday life in southern Delaware.
The fund was created by Murray’s former News Journal colleagues who worked with her in Sussex County.
“Molly guided and mentored several journalists over the course of her career. In her absence, they realize how deeply she shaped their approach to journalism and their outlook on life in general — and they want to keep her legacy alive,” said Mike Rawl, director of the Greater Lewes Foundation, which will administer the fund.
Former reporter Mike Billington, who now resides in Spain, lived near Murray. He recalls one night when she, her partner, Rob Davis, and their daughter, Halie, knocked on his door and invited him to the beach so they could all see the rings of Saturn through a telescope.
“That’s the other side of Molly that I got to know so well — a woman who knew how to get the most out of every day and wasn’t afraid to ask others to share the joy and wonder of life,” Billington said.
Murray, a native of Dover who lived most of her adult life in Lewes, received a bachelor’s in English from Beaver College (now Arcadia University), and a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
The Molly Murray Scholarship Fund will support students in Kent or Sussex counties who want to pursue careers in journalism or environmental studies. Applicants must be curious researchers committed to digging deeply for the truth and leading a life of integrity and purpose, a released stated. Fund administrators hope to provide a $1,000 cash scholarship annually. With enough donations, a permanent endowment will be created to ensure a lasting legacy.
The application process will run from Sept. 1 through March 31. More details will be available on Sept. 1.
Donations to the Molly Murray Memorial Scholarship can be sent to The Greater Lewes Foundation, P.O. 110 Box, Lewes, DE 19958, or made at www.greaterlewesfoundation.or/murray
