ART TO HEART

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK: Murphy, Catholic Central School art teacher, celebrates golden jubilee

Terry Murphy, who is celebrating his 50th year at Catholic Central School, spent most of his time at Catholic Central High School in Lansingburgh, first teaching theology and, for the last 40 years, has been the creative force in the art department. (Mike Matvey photo)

Terry Murphy began his freshman year at Catholic Central High School in 1967.

And it seems he never left!

Murphy, who graduated from Catholic Central in 1971, was hired by then-principal Father Edward J. Fitzpatrick in 1974 to teach theology part time — while quickly finishing his studies at The College of Saint Rose. He switched to art in the mid-1980s and has been the creative force in that department ever since. Murphy will be honored for his 50 years at the school during the Catholic Schools Week Mass at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish on Feb. 2.

“I have been blessed by working with the most decent, caring and supportive people. Some of them are still here, some of them I have lost. Two years ago, two of my best friends passed on who I worked with in art and theology,” said Murphy, who turned 70 last November. “I have affected a number of students’ lives in my memory, but as far as my longevity, I will attribute it to the support that I have gotten from my colleagues over the years.”

Murphy, who grew up in Poestenkill and went to St. Henry’s School, was destined to go to Catholic Central.

“I am part of a family of generations, my mom and dad went to the original Catholic High, which was up in RPI and then my daughter and son went to Catholic High and my nephew graduated about 10 years ago,” Murphy said. “So we are one of those three generation families and I just didn’t leave.”

When he did leave, albeit briefly for college, his mind never left Catholic High.

“I loved Catholic High so much I couldn’t wait to get back and, of course, you can’t teach theology in a public school. With that as my first degree and anticipating getting married that year in 1975, I wanted to get out and get in the workforce and I was delighted to work alongside teachers like Father Dominic Ingemie, Father (William F.) Bourdeau, Father (William D.) Turnbull, people that I really admired as a student,” Murphy said. “I was becoming a colleague and the first years were just the greatest in terms of being considered on their level.”

After teaching theology for 10 years, the move to art came at the right time for Murphy, who teaches Printmaking, Studio in Art, Advanced Drawing, Mixed Media, drawing and painting.

“It became a lot more fun and I was working with freshman who I had not taught in theology before,” he said. “It was a refreshing change and it allowed me to share (my love for) art and inspire the kids and have fun and look forward to that as a future.”

In the past five decades, Murphy has seen so much change at Catholic Central, which had over 2,000 students when he first arrived as a freshman. The biggest and most obvious change recently was the move from Lansingburgh to Latham and the formation of Catholic Central School, the Diocese’s only pre-K through Grade 12 school. But as Murphy noted, even with much change some things do remain the same.

“We stand by the alma mater and the pledge and try to instill in the kids those same moral principles as well as trying to maintain a caliber of a school that truly is a college preparatory school and one that has the backbone of Christian moral principle,” Murphy said. “There is a reason here, there is a calling. I don’t need to look on the other side of the fence, I am going to be happy here because this is my home and this is my place.” 

And he added “… and the years just did fly on by.”