E. Murphy,

E.C. (Pat) Murphy, 80, died Friday, Oct. 27, 2006, while working in his yard at his Little Rock home. He was born January 5, 1926 in Dallas, Texas. There he graduated from Adamson High School, where he was editor of the school newspaper and was on the debate team.
He started college at Baylor University at age 16, but -- in early 1944, at the age of 18 -- he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He completed basic training at Camp Robinson, which brought him on his first trip to Arkansas. He joined the 78th Infantry (Lightning) Division at Fort Pickett, Virginia late that summer, and went overseas that fall. He saw infantry combat during the Battle of the Bulge, the biggest and bloodiest battle ever fought by the U.S. Army. He saw and experienced things which people should never have to, and they stayed with him the rest of his life. Only in recent years was he able to discuss some of those experiences, but even then he often broke down as he recalled watching his buddies die all around him. He was always thankful for having survived the war, especially since the casualty rate of his division was 87 percent. For his military service he was awarded three major combat stars, a Bronze Star, and a Combat Infantry Badge. He was discharged as a sergeant.
Following the war, he returned to Baylor University to finish his degree. There he was editor of the school newspaper, "The Lariat," and was named to "Who's Who in Colleges and Universities." After graduation he worked as a reporter and editor at the Waco Tribune-Herald and the Houston Chronicle.
He went to work for Southwestern Bell Telephone (now SBC) in 1951 and worked in public relations in Dallas, Houston, and St. Louis. In 1976 he was promoted to senior management, and came to Little Rock as Vice President for Public Relations in Arkansas. As an amateur magician, he used magic in his job and training over the years. After 35 years of service, he retired in 1985.
Murphy was active in professional organizations during his career. He was a founding member and an officer for the Arkansas Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) in Little Rock. He was a founding member and past president of the Arkansas Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and received that group's highest honor, the Aluminum Award. He also was accredited by the national PRSA. He was a past president and district director of the Arkansas Advertising Federation (AAF), and was given that organization's highest award, The Silver Medal.
He received a Distinguished Service Award by the Arkansas Press Association, in which he was a long-time associate member; and he was made a life member by the Arkansas Broadcasters Association. He was named an Arkansas Traveler by Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, and was an original and permanent cast member of the now-defunct "Farkleberry Follies," a gridiron show to raise scholarship money for journalism students. A highlight of the annual show, he played Frank Broyles alongside the late Bill Rutherford, who played Orville Henry.
Murphy was a past officer and director of both the United Way and the Better Business Bureau. He was an active member of St. James United Methodist Church, where he was a member of the Board of Trustees, as well as a lay reader and a former Sunday School teacher.
Murphy is survived by his wife, Jackie, whom he married October 15, 1949. They recently celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary.. They have three children: Dr. Terry (wife Karen) Murphy, on the VA Hospital staff in Prescott, Arizona; Kevin (wife Linda) Murphy, a physical therapy associate in Fayetteville; and Shannon Murphy, a retired attorney and now a social counselor in Los Angeles, California. The children presented the Murphys with four grandchildren (Cason, Connor, Olivia and Evan ); and three step-grandchildren (Andrew, Jeremy and Chris).
Funeral services, conducted by the Little Rock Funeral Home, will be held at 11 am, Tuesday, Oct. 31 at St. James United Methodist Church, 321 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock (225-7372). A military graveside service will be held at 1 pm at Arkansas State Veteran's Cemetery, 1501 W. Maryland Ave. in North Little Rock (683-2259). Visitation will be held Monday, 6-8 pm at the Little Rock Funeral Home, 8801 Knoedl Court in Little Rock (I-630 at John Barrow Road; 224-2200). The family suggests that memorial gifts be made to the St. James United Methodist Church Building Fund (321 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock 72212); or the Ed Kelley Fund, 104 Oak Glen Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15237. Kelley was a Congressional Medal of Honor awardee, in Pat Murphy's division. Arrangements by Little Rock Funeral Home, (501) 224-2200.
The following article was published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on October 28, 2006.
LR Veteran of Battle of Bulge dies at 80
Pat Murphy, who was only 18 when he fought through the winter cold during the Battle of the Bulge, died Friday at his Little Rock home. He was 80.
The apparent cause of death was a heart attack, said his wife, Jacqulyn Murphy.
Born in 1926, Murphy began attending Baylor University in Waco, Texas, when he was 16. Within two years, Murphy would be in Europe, serving in the infantry as part of the campaign against the Germans in World War II.
Murphy found himself fighting from foxholes during the German army's last major offensive of World War II, which lasted from Dec. 16, 1944, to Jan. 25, 1945. Records at the Center for Military History say there were 81,000 American casualties.
Murphy served in the bitter cold, watching many of his young friends die. In a 2004 interview with The Associated Press, Murphy often broke down when talking about watching so many of his fellow soldiers die in front of him - one in a pillar of smoke stained pink by blood, or another blown away while talking to him, less than two feet away.
"I was hunched over him and Sarge said, ‘Murph, you can't do any more for him and there's still a war out there,'" Murphy said. "Those are the guys we want remembered, not us."
Returning home, Murphy married Jacqulyn, who also attended Baylor. He eventually took a job in public relations and advertising for Southwestern Bell, where he worked until his retirement, Jacqulyn Murphy said.
For most of his post-war life, Murphy spoke little about his experience during the war. But within the last four years, he began discussing it with students and others, Jacqulyn Murphy said.
"He kind of kept it inside of himself for the longest time," she said.
Besides his wife, Murphy is survived by his children, Dr. Terry W. Murphy, Kevin S. Murphy and Shannon Murphy. Funeral arrangements were pending at Little Rock Funeral Home.