2008 Woodie Awards
Clarkson Student James Murphy Passes Away
Lindsay Hoffman
Issue date: 4/3/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
On March 11, while most of his fellow students were leaving for Spring Break, 23-year-old Clarkson University senior James Murphy had an accident. He had gone to some local bars and parties with friends before going home to his house on Bay Street, where he fell down a flight of stairs. Murphy landed in such a way that his breathing was inhibited, and he died of positional asphyxia.
Murphy was a hardworking, motivated student set to graduate in December with a degree in Business Technology Management. He was a member of the Tau Delta Kappa fraternity, where he had served as both philanthropy and recruitment chair. Murphy was an accomplished baseball player in high school and played for Clarkson his freshman year, but left the team to focus on his schoolwork.
Some of Murphy's friends were disappointed by the media coverage of his death, thinking that it focused too much on the accident and not enough on Murphy's life. Kristine Johnson, who attended Pittsford-Mendon High School with Murphy, says that she wants him to be remembered for the person he was, not just for his accident.
Johnson recalls Murphy as "the sweetest, nicest guy" and says, "He always tried to make you laugh and smile." Murphy was devoted to his family and loved by his many friends, all of whom remember him as a smart, funny young man with a great deal of potential.
Johnson considers Murphy's death a tragedy and wants to caution other students to be aware of the situations in which they put themselves. She says that we all have a responsibility to ourselves, our friends, and our families to be careful and to keep ourselves from harm. She also stressed that it is important to take care of your friends.
Johnson thinks that Clarkson should use this incident as a chance to promote the safe use of alcohol. "We owe it to Jimmy's memory to strive for self-awareness, to be conscious of our limitations and actions, and to watch out for ourselves, to the very best of our ability," Johnson said. Johnson asked, "It is time to evaluate our daily routine - are we protecting ourselves?"
Murphy was a hardworking, motivated student set to graduate in December with a degree in Business Technology Management. He was a member of the Tau Delta Kappa fraternity, where he had served as both philanthropy and recruitment chair. Murphy was an accomplished baseball player in high school and played for Clarkson his freshman year, but left the team to focus on his schoolwork.
Some of Murphy's friends were disappointed by the media coverage of his death, thinking that it focused too much on the accident and not enough on Murphy's life. Kristine Johnson, who attended Pittsford-Mendon High School with Murphy, says that she wants him to be remembered for the person he was, not just for his accident.
Johnson recalls Murphy as "the sweetest, nicest guy" and says, "He always tried to make you laugh and smile." Murphy was devoted to his family and loved by his many friends, all of whom remember him as a smart, funny young man with a great deal of potential.
Johnson considers Murphy's death a tragedy and wants to caution other students to be aware of the situations in which they put themselves. She says that we all have a responsibility to ourselves, our friends, and our families to be careful and to keep ourselves from harm. She also stressed that it is important to take care of your friends.
Johnson thinks that Clarkson should use this incident as a chance to promote the safe use of alcohol. "We owe it to Jimmy's memory to strive for self-awareness, to be conscious of our limitations and actions, and to watch out for ourselves, to the very best of our ability," Johnson said. Johnson asked, "It is time to evaluate our daily routine - are we protecting ourselves?"