She departed Aug. 3, 2009, leaving behind a legacy of inspiring others to work collaboratively and with distinction for the betterment of society.
Dr. Murray pioneered the school-district-within-the-state-prison-system concept when she was named superintendent for the Windham School System, Texas Department of Corrections, in 1969. After the Texas Legislature set up an independent school system within TDC, she was invited by prison system director George Beto to serve as superintendent of the new school system, a position she held for more than two decades.
"Here was an opportunity to develop a program from nothing to wherever it could be taken... for undereducated adults, without job skills needing everything," she said.
Dr. Murray developed the school program from little more than an idea into one of the most highly respected correctional education programs in the nation. With no model to follow, she recognized the need for an innovative, nontraditional approach to the education of the incarcerated adult felon. She identified and implemented a competency-based approach to instruction in the prison environment. Under her direction and leadership, Windham's staff grew from eight instructors in 1969 to nearly 1,300 total employees today (including 800-plus certified teachers).
"She exploited [my] concept beyond my wildest expectation," Dr. George Beto told the Houston Chronicle (Aug. 26, 1990). Even after her retirement in 1993, she continued to express confidence in the Windham School System and serve as a mentor and role model for correctional educators.
Her leadership skills have been recognized throughout the nation and state. President Gerald Ford appointed her to serve on the National Advisory Council for Adult Education, and she was twice elected president of the Correctional Education Association, USA-Canada. She was also a professional advisor to the National Business Council for Effective Literacy, Inc., and a member of the Texas Interagency Coordination Council's Dropout Reduction Program.
Recognition of Dr. Murray's outstanding professional contributions include the 1984 E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award, the American Correctional Association's most prestigious award conferred in recognition of outstanding professional service and dedication to the correctional community and the public. She was also inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1988, a distinction accorded to Texans such as Lady Bird Johnson, Ann Richards, Sally Ride, Liz Carpenter, Barbara Bush, Barbara Jordan and Sandra Day O'Connor.
In 1996, this remarkable leader was recognized by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as it named the Dr. Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville in her honor. Then-governor George W. Bush spoke at the unit's dedication and thanked her for serving Texas.
A native Texan, Dr. Murray was born in Celina in 1921 and began her teaching experience in 1942. Today she leaves behind Windham School District as a national correctional education leader. Her positive influence on the lives of men, women, families and communities served by WSD is immeasurable. We extend our thoughts and prayers to her family and friends in the loss of this extraordinary woman.
Lane Murray led the Windham School District within the state prison system.
A funeral Mass is scheduled in Huntsville today for Lane Murray, a national leader in prisoner education and the founding superintendent of the school system that has educated Texas inmates for 40 years.
Murray, 87, died Monday.
She led the Windham School District within the state prison system from the district's creation in 1969 until her retirement in 1994.
At the time of Murray's appointment, much of the public was still skeptical about the value of educating adult prisoners, said Steve Steurer, executive director of the Correction Education Association. Since then, experts said, peer-reviewed research has documented Murray's conviction that educating offenders reduced the likelihood they would commit crimes after their release.
"Study after study has shown that the higher the educational level, the lower the recidivism rate," said Debbie Roberts, the Windham district's current superintendent.
Murray was born Joyce Elaine Stone in the northeast Texas town of Celina. She grew up on a West Texas cotton farm and graduated from Sudan High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University, a master's from Sam Houston State University and a doctorate from the University of Houston.
From 1960 to 1969 she taught at Texas A&M University, the first woman to hold a full-time faculty position in its College of Education.
George Beto, who headed what was then known as the Texas Department of Corrections, chose her to run its fledgling school system. Its initial staff of eight instructors has grown to 1,300, including more than 800 certified teachers, said Bambi Kiser, a spokeswoman for the school district.
Murray developed the district's non-graded instructional system and oversaw curriculums and assessment measures. By the time she retired, all 50 campuses were accredited by the Texas Education Agency, and each of Texas' 254 counties sent students to the district's schools.
She was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1989.
Murray served two terms as president of the Correction Education Association, a national advocacy group. One of her most impressive achievements, Steurer said, was creating consistently high standards throughout a large system at a time when individual unit wardens held great power.
Roberts, who started work for the prison system as a 19-year-old college student in 1973, said Murray was one of the few women in a position of authority at the time.
"It was very male-dominated," Roberts said. "For all of us young women starting our career in corrections, she was a mentor."
Murray leaves three children, Stone and Mark Murray and Joyce Murray Boatright; seven grandchildren and eight great-grandhcildren. Her late husband was Thomas F. Murray, a Sam Houston State University education professor.
Mass for Murray will be celebrated at 2 p.m. today at St. Thomas Catholic Church, 1005 Avenue F, Huntsville. In lieu of flowers, her family asked that donations be made in her memory to Casa Juan Diego, P.O. Box 70113, Houston, 77270, or to another charity.
Dr. Lane Murray Nov. 6, 1921 - Aug. 3, 2009 Lane Murray was born Joyce Elaine Stone in Celina, Collin County, TX, on Nov. 6, 1921.
She grew up on a cotton farm in a small west Texas town as the only daughter and youngest child of E.J. and Elise Stone, with one older brother Jack. The three of them have preceded her in death. At age 15 she graduated from Sudan High School, Sudan, TX, and attended Texas Tech University where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in English and education in 1942. In 1952 she received her Master of Education degree from Sam Houston State University. In 1962 she received her Doctor of Education with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Houston.
She was appointed to the faculty of Texas A&M University in 1960-69, distinguishing herself as the first woman to hold a full-time faculty position in A&M's College of Education.
In 1969 Dr. Murray became the pioneer of the school district concept within a state prison system when she was named by Dr. George Beto to be founding superintendent for Windham School System, Texas Department of Corrections. With no model to follow, Dr. Murray recognized the need for an innovative, nontraditional approach to education of the incarcerated adult felon. She identified and implemented a non-graded, competency-based approach to instruction in a prison setting. The Windham School System model of instruction was a non-graded system where mastery learning was the goal. With her direction, curriculum bulletins were written for all the basic instructional disciplines, and assessment measures were standardized district-wide.
All 50 campuses were accredited by the Texas Education Agency and the Association of Colleges and Schools at the time of her retirement in 1994. Every one of the 254 counties in Texas sent students to her schools. Among her accomplishments, she served two terms as national president of the Correctional Education Association.
With Dr. Murray's leadership, CEA developed from a loosely knit group to a collective voice powerful enough to influence national legislation. She also held a life membership of the American Correctional Association and was a recipient of the prestigious E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award. She also received the Blue Ribbon from the American Film Festival, New York City, for the film "Lions, Parakeets, and Other Prisoners," a docudrama depicting Windham's inmate student creative writing project. In 1989, Dr. Murray was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame. Later in 1995, when then Texas Governor George W. Bush gave the keynote at the prison dedication of the Dr. Lane Murray Unit, named in her honor, he opined, "I knew how important Dr. Lane was when I discovered that she had been inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame before my momma."
Dr. Murray was married to the late Dr. Thomas F. Murray, Sam Houston State University professor of education. She is survived by her children, Stone and wife Betty Murray, Joyce Murray Boatright, Mark and wife Michelle Murray; her grandchildren, Drew and wife Katy Murray, Rich and wife Claudia Murray, Matthew and wife Sharon Anderson, Megan Lane and husband Ron Fielden, Tracie and husband Doug Mauldin, Keelan Murray, and Kolby Yarnell. She is also survived by eight treasured great-grandchildren, and a host of beloved friends, including Carlene Reinhart, Carolyn Baxter, Alice Fisher, Vanessa Thueson, Laura Floyd, Chris and Pat Tracey, Jim and Barbara Riley, Tom C. Cole, Jr., Trenda Coburn, Gene Ennis, and Fr. Steven Paine, to name a few. She also is survived by a brother-in-law Joe and wife Judy Murray, and two sisters-in-law, Kay Murray Tarski and Jean Murray Parker, along with 14 nieces and nephews.
A rosary will be held at St. Thomas Catholic Church on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Mass will be celebrated at the church on Friday at 4:00 p.m. A reception will be held at the family home, 1422 Avenue O, following Friday's service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her memory to Casa Juan Diego, P.O. Box 70113, Houston, TX, 77270, or to the East Dallas Community School, 924 Wayne Street, Dallas, TX, 75223, or to the charity of your choice.
Those wishing to leave memorial condolences for the family may do so at www.shmfh.com