News Releases
 January Volunteer of the Month: Murray Kurland
Volunteer and Senior Exchange participant, Plum Grove Junior High
Monday is the day of the week that Murray Kurland’s golf club is closed, so he spends every Monday working in the Learning Resource Center at Plum Grove Junior High. His presence there is always welcome, because Murray brings energy, enthusiasm, and efficiency to anything he is asked to handle.
Since joining District 15’s Senior Exchange Program seven years ago, Murray has worked at a number of schools. Because he is fluent in Spanish, he first worked with students in bilingual classrooms at Pleasant Hill and later at Willow Bend. He enjoyed the time he spent with students. “Younger children give you a lift,” he said. “Working with them gives you a young person’s outlook.” In the last few years, however, he has worked in Learning Resource Centers, primarily at Plum Grove but also at Winston Campus last year. Senior Exchange participants are technically district employees, but Murray said he volunteered and found it “most surprising” to be paid for something he wanted to do anyway.
Murray and his late wife of 48 years, Alice, had six children, all of whom attended District 15 schools: Pleasant Hill, Stuart R. Paddock, and Plum Grove. One daughter, Amy, is now mom to two District 15 students—a second grader at Willow Bend and an eighth grader at Plum Grove. Two other daughters, Lissa and Carrie, also live in the area, and sons Todd, Eric, and Rob live out of state. In addition to the two District 15 students, Murray has seven other grandchildren.
Born and reared in New York, Murray learned Spanish from his Puerto Rican mother and grandmother. He attended the University of Wisconsin, earning a B.S. in electrical engineering. He served in the Navy from 1946–48, traveling all over the Pacific, including Pearl Harbor, Japan, and China. Before his retirement 15 years ago, he was vice president of international sales for S&C Electric Company, which manufactures equipment for the electric power industry. In his job, he traveled extensively, including in Latin and Central America, the Middle East, South Africa, and Asia. Nowadays, his main interest is golf, which he describes as his “avocation.” Because of heart bypass surgery in 1977, he’s also been an active participant in the Harper College cardiac rehabilitation program for the past 23 years.
“No matter what task is before him, Murray tackles it with energy, speedily accomplishing the job with flair,” his nominator said. “He works tirelessly, without complaining even when the job at hand is repetitive or difficult. He is a joy to be around. His faithfulness and diligence to do his best—which is always excellent—is inspiring,” said his nominator. Plum Grove principal Cheryl Quinn agrees. “He’s wonderful,” she said simply.
Murray will be recognized at the January 10, 2007, Board of Education meeting, to be held at Walter R. Sundling Junior High School, at 7 p.m.
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