Inspired by his high school chemistry teacher, Dr. Clarence J. Murphy knew he wanted to pursue a career in chemistry at a young age. His teacher, who was also an assistant pastor, was a very interesting person who taught at a college in Manchester, NH. He prepared for his career by obtaining a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science from the University of New Hampshire in 1955 and 1957, respectively. He then briefly served as a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before receiving a Doctor of Philosophy from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1962. Dr. Murphy became an associate and then assistant professor in the department of chemistry at Ithaca College, where he was eventually appointed chairman of the department. After this appointment, he moved on to East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania as a professor and department chair. Also during this time, he was a research scientist at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, and a professor and department chair at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH. Today, he holds the title of professor emeritus.
Outside of his primary academic appointments, Dr. Murphy has also offered his expertise to the field by contributing articles to professional journals. He has also revised several books and holds numerous patents in the field. Throughout his career, Dr. Murphy’s research focused on the history of chemistry, the morphology of polymers, nonlinear optical effects in polymers, and infrared spectroscopy of organometallic compounds. As an accomplished professional, Dr. Murphy has been most proud to have been able to get his chemistry program certified with the American Chemical Society, which led to many other successes in his career.
Civically, Dr. Murphy has served on countless community boards. He has been active with the Monroe County Historical Association, the Eastern Monroe Public Library, EMPL Foundation Board, and the Monroe County Emergency Planning Commission, where he currently serves as chairman. In his spare time, he enjoys travel and music.
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