Jack Murray has been recognized as the 2017 Distinguished New Canaan Man by the New Canaan Men’s Club.
This award, noted committee chairman Ralph Hills, recognizes club members who have “provided exceptional long term service to the club, to the town of New Canaan, and to our community.”
Murray was recognized at the club’s annual meeting, held May 5 at the Country Club of New Canaan.
Murray has been a member of the New Canaan Men’s Club since 1993, serving as vice president and president. His other club leadership activities include the Christmas Toys collection for Family Reentry, the Trailblazers Hiking Group, the Sky Blazers Flight Simulator group. As a member of the Couth Committee, Murray has organized and led several of the Men’s Club travel adventures.
Murray was a founding member of the Lapham Community Center Computer Learning Center. To meet demand for these courses he recruited and coordinated more than 30 volunteer instructors as the course list expanded to 35. When the digital era came upon New Canaan, Murray responded to the first selectman’s call for assistance and worked with commissions to put minutes and meetings on the town website.
In the fall of 1981, Murray brought the Emmaus Retreat Weekend for teenagers to St. Aloysius in New Canaan. Twice a year up to 36 teens attend the retreat, supported by 120 volunteers. After 36 years the program is going strong and Murray is now an emeritus member of the team.
Since 2007, Murray has been collecting books from libraries and taking them to all 16 of Connecticut’s prisons. In 2015, he delivered more than 10,000 books, and in 2016, 8,000 more.
Murray said almost everything he has accomplished as a member of New Canaan Men’s Club has been with the help of so many club members and other members of the community.
The New Canaan Men’s Club, founded in 1977, welcomes members 55 years and older who live in or own property in New Canaan, or a non-resident who is proposed by a resident member and seconded by another member. Meetings are held 10-11:30 Fridays at St Mark’s Church. Its website, www.newcanaanmensclub.org, includes an informational video under the Membership tab.
New Canaan: Jack Murray has been named the Distinguished New Canaan Man for 2017.
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