April 3, 2023
SWOSU Foundation Press Release
Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) with locations in Weatherford, Sayre, and Yukon has announced a generous charitable gift from the late Linville Lee “Lin” Murdock.
Murdock was known as “Sissy” to her family and childhood friends. She was born August 13, 1942, in Hondo, Texas. She moved to Hammon, Oklahoma with her family in 1943 and graduated from there in 1960. While a student at Hammon she was an outstanding basketball player and piano player among other notable achievements. She graduated from SWOSU in 1964 and later obtained her Master’s degree. She taught for two years in the Clovis, New Mexico public school system and one year at Oklahoma Panhandle State University before returning to her alma mater where she would serve for over three decades as an instructor in the SWOSU Kinesiology (formerly Physical Education) Department. She taught many classes and touched the lives of a great number of students. She coached volleyball and tennis, served as sponsor of the Physical Education Major and Minors Club, served with the Brownie Playdays, and served on the Faculty Senate. She was a member of a number of professional associations and Alliances and was president of the Lamba Chapter of the international women teacher’s organization (Delta Kappa Gamma).
Murdock died on April 22, 2022. She thoughtfully made provision for SWOSU in her estate planning, and the university is honored to announce that her generosity will allow for two major philanthropic developments:
– Firstly, the Lloyd & Nora Murdock Scholarship Fund (an endowment which provides scholarships to graduates of Hammon Public Schools, this fund was established by Murdock and her siblings in 2006 in honor of their parents) will increase in valuation eightfold; and,
– Secondly, the Linville L. Murdock Scholarship Fund will be established to provide ongoing scholarships support to the SWOSU Department of Kinesiology (formerly Physical Education).
The Murdock gift sets a record as the largest single gift ever made to SWOSU Kinesiology.
“Lin Murdock’s name is written in gold here on the SWOSU Hilltop,” said SWOSU President Dr. Diana R. “Diane” Lovell. “So many members of our community of alumni, emeriti, and friends fondly remember her involvement in their lives. We are deeply honored that Lin Murdock chose to remember SWOSU through her estate planning. Her beneficence will offer invaluable support to our students for generations to come.”
In recognition of Murdock’s bequest, she will be posthumously inducted into SWOSU’s planned giving society, SWOSU Tomorrows.
SWOSU is happy to assist alumni and friends of the institution who would like to discuss estate planning options or to notify the university that SWOSU has been included in a finalized estate plan. Donors to SWOSU who choose to record their planned gifts to SWOSU will be named as part of the SWOSU Tomorrows planned giving society and recognized according to their wishes and preferences, joining a special place of honor amongst the university’s many benefactors. Former SWOSU presidents Dr. Joe Anna Hibler and the late Dr. John Hays served as the founding honorary co-chairs of the SWOSU Tomorrows effort under the guidance of the SWOSU Foundation, Inc. Board of Trustees.
The SWOSU Tomorrows planned giving society is coordinated by the SWOSU Foundation, Inc. The Foundation was established in 1977 to promote philanthropy and distribute funds to support the activities and programs of SWOSU. For information on how to make a planned gift to SWOSU or to let SWOSU know that a provision has been made for the university in your estate planning, please contact the SWOSU Foundation, Inc. by telephone at 580-774-3267; by e-mail to Executive Director Garrett King at garrett.king@swosu.edu; or visit www.SWOSUTomorrows.com.
Copyright 2023 Paragon Communications. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.
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