Dr. Thomas Michael Murray passed away Aug. 29, 2024 at the age of 84, in Durham, N.C., surrounded by his family. He was born May 22, 1940, in Dubuque, Iowa, as the only child to Raymond and Laura Murray.
Shortly after birth, his family moved to Waterloo, Iowa, where he developed a passion for trains from his father, a railroad conductor. During his formative years, he would often ride his bike to meet his father at the rail yard. His family had little means, so he delivered newspapers and groceries, learning the value of hard work as a child. He attended St. Mary’s Catholic School, where, as a high school student, the nuns asked Tom to teach a physics class to his fellow students. He graduated in 1958.
He started his engineering career by paying his own way through college at Iowa State University. Following graduation in 1962, he worked as an Engineering trainee at Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company in Des Moines, Iowa. While in Des Moines, he met his first wife, Margaret. He received a master’s in civil engineering at Lehigh University in 1966, where he developed a passion for teaching and research. This motivated him to pursue a Ph.D. in engineering mechanics at the University of Kansas, graduating in 1970. With three young children, he began his academic career at the University of Oklahoma where he worked for 16 years. After spending a year at the United States Air Force Academy as a Distinguished Visiting Professor, he moved to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University as the Montague-Betts Professor of Structural Steel Design in 1987. At Virginia Tech, he developed an experimental research laboratory. Tom built the lab from scratch into the fifth-largest structural engineering research laboratory in the nation. From the success of his company, Structural Engineers, Inc., he became known as the ’floor vibration guru.’ As an expert in structural steel design, he authored or co-authored over 200 books, design guides, papers, and 200 research reports; supervised approximately 150 graduate student theses and dissertations; and made over 250 presentations to structural engineering groups around the world. His work resulted in significant improvements in the safety of steel-framed buildings and meaningful contributions to American Institute of Steel Construction, American Iron Institute Specification Committee, and AISC Committee on manuals and textbooks. In 2002, he was inducted into the prestigious National Academy of Engineering, the ultimate engineering honor. He also received numerous awards and recognition in teaching and research including the T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award, the American Institute of Construction Geerhard Haaijer Award for Excellence in Education, the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Virginia State Council of Higher Education, and the Distinguished American Society of Civil Engineers Award. In 2021, Tom was inducted into the Iowa State University CCEE Hall of Fame. He retired from Virginia Tech in 2008 as an Emeritus Professor. Even in retirement, he continued to consult, work with students, and give presentations. He had an enormous impact on colleagues, students, and the field of civil engineering, so much so that in 2009, Virginia Tech officially named the lab he started as the Thomas M Murray Structural Engineering Laboratory.
Tom was affectionally known as Dad, Pop, Grandpa, Grom, and ‘The Real Tom Murray.’ He had a wry sense of humor and a love for travel, built model trains and started a model train club, built many family decks, playsets, dollhouses, and skillfully upgraded closets, and was the best husband, father, grandfather, and friend.
Tom is survived by his wife, Nancy, his children and their spouses; Matt and Barbara, Libby and Mark, Nick and Missy; his nine grandchildren; Max, Patrick, Jessica, Laura, Sarah, Keith, Hannah, Samantha, and Olivia; Nancy’s children, Becky, Andy, and Stefani; and his step-grandchildren; Talan, Madison, and Tyler.
The funeral services will be at St. Jude Catholic Church, Radford, on Oct. 5th at 11 a.m. Visitation begins at 10 a.m. and interment and reception are to follow.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to MPN Research Foundation https://mpnresearchfoundation.org/.
The Murray family is in the care of the Mullins Funeral Home & Crematory in Radford.
