1923
Amelia
2015
Amelia Murdoch
May 22, 1923 — January 16, 2015
College Park, Maryland - Dr. Amelia Clara Murdoch, Ph.D., 91, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 16, 2015 at her home in College Park.
Amelia was born May 22, 1923, in Mobile, Alabama, the daughter of Thomas Jerome and Viola Scanlan Murdoch.
Amelia received her AB with honors in 1945 and her Doctorate in 1952 from the University of Pennsylvania and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa (Mary Isabel Sibley Fellow 1947-1948). She taught at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA before beginning her 40 year career as a linguist with the National Security Agency at Ft. George Meade, MD. After retiring from Federal service, Amelia devoted her life to community service and served as the Chair of the Committee for a Better Environment and the Tree and Landscape Board, College Park. In these positions Amelia led the successful fight to save Gilford Run from development. She Chaired the College Park Veterans' Memorial Improvement Committee leading the fund raising efforts that resulted in the construction of the fitting memorial that stands at the intersection of Baltimore Avenue and Greenbelt Road. Always a visionary, Amelia saw the need for an institution devoted to the history, impact, and art of language and with a few like-mined friends founded the National Museum of Language (NML) in College Park. The NML and the Veterans' Memorial serve as living monuments to her achievements and memory.
She is survived by her niece, Kathryn A. Murdoch and Kathryn's husband Dr. James A. Jeffery of Huntsville, AL; close friends and care givers, Pedro Manuel Guevara-Cordova, James E. McFadden, and Felisa Batista of College Park; and Toby, the friendliest tabby.
Besides her parents, Amelia was preceded in death by her brother Thomas Jerome Murdoch and her aunt Clara Scanlan.
As per Amelia's wishes, there will be no funeral service and plans for a service of remembrance are pending. Persons wishing to honor Amelia's life of service are asked to make donations to the National Museum of Language, P. O, Box 453, Greenbelt, MD 20768.
Amelia was born May 22, 1923, in Mobile, Alabama, the daughter of Thomas Jerome and Viola Scanlan Murdoch.
Amelia received her AB with honors in 1945 and her Doctorate in 1952 from the University of Pennsylvania and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa (Mary Isabel Sibley Fellow 1947-1948). She taught at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA before beginning her 40 year career as a linguist with the National Security Agency at Ft. George Meade, MD. After retiring from Federal service, Amelia devoted her life to community service and served as the Chair of the Committee for a Better Environment and the Tree and Landscape Board, College Park. In these positions Amelia led the successful fight to save Gilford Run from development. She Chaired the College Park Veterans' Memorial Improvement Committee leading the fund raising efforts that resulted in the construction of the fitting memorial that stands at the intersection of Baltimore Avenue and Greenbelt Road. Always a visionary, Amelia saw the need for an institution devoted to the history, impact, and art of language and with a few like-mined friends founded the National Museum of Language (NML) in College Park. The NML and the Veterans' Memorial serve as living monuments to her achievements and memory.
She is survived by her niece, Kathryn A. Murdoch and Kathryn's husband Dr. James A. Jeffery of Huntsville, AL; close friends and care givers, Pedro Manuel Guevara-Cordova, James E. McFadden, and Felisa Batista of College Park; and Toby, the friendliest tabby.
Besides her parents, Amelia was preceded in death by her brother Thomas Jerome Murdoch and her aunt Clara Scanlan.
As per Amelia's wishes, there will be no funeral service and plans for a service of remembrance are pending. Persons wishing to honor Amelia's life of service are asked to make donations to the National Museum of Language, P. O, Box 453, Greenbelt, MD 20768.
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