Obituary: Craig Murray, 1938-2024 

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• Courtesy
• Craig Murray

Craig C. Murray died at his Shelburne home, surrounded by family, early in the morning of July 26, 2024, of complications from Parkinson’s disease.

He was born in Bryn Mawr, Pa., in 1938 and was the youngest son of Howard Lenford Murray and Catharine Cox Murray. Craig’s childhood was spent in Villanova, Pa., with summers in Chatham, Cape Cod. He grew up loving golf and sailing, racing lightnings on Pleasant Bay. He was club champion at Eastward Ho when he was 19 years old. Craig attended college at Stanford University, first as a physics major and then switching to humanities, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Craig married Betsy Hallett in 1960, and together they had two sons, Alec and Owen. After finishing work on a doctorate in history at Columbia, Craig came to Vermont to teach at Middlebury College. Active in the anti-Vietnam War movement, Craig became the first executive director of the Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Craig was an unusually eclectic man, pursuing his passions and interests in theatre and mind-body integration work throughout the 1970s. With friends he established a collective home in a large Victorian house in the Hill Section of Burlington, known as Magoo Place. Many talented musicians, healers, therapists, thespians and activists lived in the home, creating a culture of nurture and exploration.

Fascinated by innovations and as a concerned environmentalist, Craig became involved in an entrepreneurial project to create a novel all-terrain vehicle that could more safely and efficiently mow or till on steep gradients and selectively harvest timber called the “quadractor.” For the last 20 years, Craig pursued the development of a rotary engine that was more power-dense and efficient than the piston engine. Although neither project was commercialized, Craig tirelessly and creatively pursued their promise. In 1982 he met the love of his life, Beth Tanzman, and together they enjoyed a lifetime of travel, gardening, work, tennis and gatherings with family and friends.

The last years of Craig’s life were made immeasurably better by the wonderful physical and occupational therapy teams at the Fanny Allen outpatient rehabilitation center and the outstanding Binter Center PushBack program at the University of Vermont.

Craig is predeceased by his brothers, Don and Ken Murray, and half-brother, Mac Murray. Craig is survived by his wife, Beth Tanzman, and his children and their spouses: Alec and Johanna Murray and Owen Murray and Annapurna Ghosh. Two wonderful grandchildren, Simon and Nikolai Murray, also survive Craig.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Craig’s honor may be made to the Frederick C. Binter Center for Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders at Binter Center, PD PushBack Registration/Campaign, 1 South Prospect St., Arnold, Level 2, Burlington, VT 05401, or Shelburne Farms, 1611 Harbor Rd., Shelburne, VT 05482.

A celebration of Craig’s life will be held midday on December 21, 2024, at the All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne, Vt.