By John Garvey, President
The Catholic University of America Magazine, Fall 2016

At one of the first events I attended as president of Catholic University, I mentioned Franny Murray in passing. The room erupted in cheers. Who, I wondered, was this man who could get a standing ovation by just having his name mentioned? It was a blessing for me to find out.

I saw Franny on the sidelines at football and basketball and lacrosse and field hockey games, cheering for his beloved Cardinals. Many days he was (after my wife) the first person I saw in the morning; he would open the DuFour Center for me to go swimming. Franny had a kind word or a quip ready before most people have had their first cup of coffee. Most of all, I saw the love and respect reflected in the faces of the many students and alumni Franny befriended over seventy years at Catholic University.

Over seven decades Franny served as a referee and an assistant coach; he ran the intramural and sports information operations. One year he served as the acting athletic director. For 29 years he was the athletic trainer. And for many more years Franny served as “keeper of the cage,” the equipment manager for the Department of Athletics. 

Franny served under nine University rectors and presidents. He witnessed, and enthusiastically supported, the develop-ment of the women’s athletic program. He saw the University change and grow around him. But Franny was a constant. Day in and day out he cared as a father and friend for the many young men and women who came through his office.  He dispensed athletic equipment and good counsel. He taped ankles and consoled homesick and heartsick students.

When Franny died on Aug. 4 at the age of 94, the entire Catholic University community mourned his passing. At the same time, we celebrated his remarkable life. In my travels around the country to meet with alumni this fall, I have been moved to hear so many stories of Franny’s thoughtfulness, generosity, and wit. I am reminded of a line from Charles Dickens’s Our Mutual Friend: “Evil often stops short at itself and dies with the doer of it; but Good, never.” Franny’s goodness affected generations of Catholic University students. He loved and cared for them unconditionally. In doing so, he gave them an example to follow in their own lives.

In 2009 Catholic University awarded him the President’s Medal, the University’s highest honor, given to individuals who embody the mission and spirit of the University through outstanding achieve-ments. That put him in the company of cardinals, presidents, and Supreme Court justices. As I said at Franny’s funeral, it was fitting that they should be in his company.

Franny’s outstanding achievement was that he treated every person he met as a child of God worthy of love. For 70 years he offered a powerful witness to the entire University community that our lives are weighed and measured not by the wealth, power, or prestige we accumulate, but by what we do for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Now the keeper of the cage has gone to meet the keeper of the keys. We give thanks for Franny’s remarkable life and pray with confidence that God will welcome this good and faithful servant home.