Montaña. In 1958 Dr. Murray was selected as the recipient of the Twenty-Fifth Catholic Action medal given by St. Bonaventure University. He is listed in Who’s Who in American Education, Leaders in American Education, International Who’s Who, and American Catholic Who’s Who. He has written widely in the fields of education, Mexican history, and contemporary affairs.” Murray wrote The Catholic Church in Mexico: 1519-1920, which was privately published in 1965. He started but never finished the second volume. Dr. Murray died November 4, 1984, in Mexico City. He was cremated, his remains are in La Iglesia de Covadonga in Palmas, along with his wife, Elena Picazo de Murray.
The Universidad de las Americas, Puebla, has named a building after Dr. Murray and Dr. Cain. Dr. Murray’s son, Paul V. Murray, Jr., Ph.D., and his two sisters were invited, all expenses paid, as guests to the Dedication (March 1, 1998). As Paul Murray wrote, “The Inauguration was truly a supreme and far reaching gesture by UDLAP in recognition of its heritage (that) . . honored his father’s (and Dr. Cain’s) vision.”
(Adapted from the MCC Collegian, Vol. 20, October 18, 1956, and private correspondence)
St. Ambrose College, Davenport, Idaho, in June, 1953. Dr. Murray served as President of MCC from June 11, 1953 until May 2, 1961.
His wife, Elena Picazo de Murray, was instrumental in developing the teaching of English at the Colegio Columbia (founded in1938) and, later, at San Louis Potosí where the Clases de Inglés and Clases Comerciales now operate. In 1951 she formed the Mexico City College department of English for Mexicans. Within two years thirteen hundred students were enrolled in the day and evening classes that offered thirteen courses in English proficiency. She developed a Spanish text book, regarded as one of the best in the field with its idiomatic and functional approach, which has been the main stay of and used by countless American students at Mexico City College.
“Paul Murray was an honorary member of the Texas Good Neighbor Commission in recognition of his work in promoting intercultural relations between Texas and Mexico. He was also a member of the American Catholic Historical Association, Sociedad Mexicana de Geografía y Estadística, the University Club, and a founding member of the Club Deportivo Prados de la
