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Murphy, Marilyn 1998


Marilyn Murphy knows what it’s like to be on the edge. The 1956 OCW graduate spent 1993-94 in a small motor home driving the entire perimeter of the United States and interviewing various people who had chosen to live on the edge of our country. The Albuquerque Journal published a series of 13 feature articles about the journey, along with Murphy’s color photographs, entitled, “Letters from the Edge.” She also authored a book about her adventures called On the Edge: Traveling the Perimeter of America. Murphy earned her Master’s at the University of Denver in 1960 and her Ph.D in education at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque in 1973. She held teaching and directorial positions in the Albuquerque Public School system for 25 years, was the Field Director for the Girl Scouts of America for five years and was an adjunct assistant professor at the University of New Mexico’s College of Education for 14 years. Although she says she is primarily self-taught, Murphy has studied with several well-known photographers. She has exhibited her work in numerous arts and crafts shows around New Mexico and the Southwest, and has won numerous awards for her work.

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