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A Tree for Murray, A Fund for the Future

Tree planting ceremony for Murray Levine

01/17/14 Corvallis, Ore.

A memorial tree was planted this week for Murray Levine at Oregon State University (OSU).  A white alder – native to the Pacific Northwest – was planted at a central location in a small quad near the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science (CEOAS) on the OSU campus. 

Murray Levine was a professor at OSU and co-director of the Center for Coastal Margin Observation & Prediction (CMOP).  He passed away on September 29, 2013 due to complications of myleodysplastic syndrome. To celebrate his life, a tree was planted at OSU in his name at a ceremony that included his wife Barb and daughter Jessica. 

Levine was a talented scientist but also a gifted teacher. In 1998, he was awarded the very first CEOAS Pattullo Award for Excellence in Teaching. He was also a valued mentor, serving on more than 30 graduate committees and working closely with a variety of postdoctoral scholars.

A Teaching Assistant Fund for the OSU College of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences curriculum has now been established in his name and honor.  The TA Fund will help a specific CEOAS graduate student each year to hone his/her experience and skill in teaching the basic principles of oceanography, something that Levine did well and with passion.

“We have now managed to acquire sufficient funds to assure the TA fund named in Murray's honor is endowed and permanent,” said Fred Prahl, an OSU professor, CMOP scientist, colleague and close friend of Murray. "I want to thank all who have contributed to this endeavor."

The fund is still open for further contributions.  Donations can be made either online at osufoundation.org or by mailing a check to the following address: OSU Foundation, 850 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, Oregon 97333.  Remember to indicate that your donation is in memory of Murray Levine.

A bronze plaque is now being made in honor of Levine that reads, “Murray Levine (1949-2013) Beloved Professor, Mentor, Colleague and Friend”.  It will be mounted in close proximity to the tree, right near a bench where you can come to sit, think and talk.  Fred said: “We are all looking forward to the spring when Murray, the white alder, shows his foliage.”

See more photos from the Murray Levine memorial tree planting →

Written by Jeff Schilling. Photos courtsey of David Reinert.