Murdock, Pat

Biography

Patricia Gayle (Pat) Dismukes Murdock (1939-2016) was a longtime spokesperson for Texas State University and a tireless community volunteer.

She moved to San Marcos in 1959 to study journalism and English at what was then Southwest Texas State University. Murdock earned a bachelor's degree in the summer of 1962 -- at the same ceremony where LBJ received his honorary doctorate -- and then earned a master's degree in guidance counseling and English in 1969. First hired to work in the college News Service by Bruce Roche in 1963, she helped organize the ceremony at which President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Higher Education Act of 1965 on the campus of his alma mater.

Murdock worked at Texas State for more than four decades including 23 as its news and information service director, a position she held from 1971 to 1994. When Murdock retired in 2007, university president Denise M. Trauth said, "In her long career, she has epitomized the concept of town-gown' relations Her volunteer spirit is unrivaled in San Marcos."

Murdock was an original member of the San Marcos Summerfest Steering Committee; former co-general chairman of the Republic of Texas Chilympiad; former president of American Legion Unit 144; former public affair committee chair for the Texas Special Olympics; and served on countless special observance and event committees including San Marcos' bicentennial and sesquicentennial celebrations.

She was inducted into the San Marcos Women's Hall of Fame and a was the first recipient of the Southwest Alumni Association's Key of Excellence Award. She was a member of the LBJ Museum of San Marcos' board of directors since the museum's inception and served as its Vice President.

LBJ100 Oral History Project

Pat Murdock offers detailed information about several of Johnson’s visits to campus, especially the visit where he signed the Higher Education Act (1965). She talks about the Alumni House history, the curation and dedication of the LBJ exhibition that was on display in 1971. And notes that, whenever anything newsworthy happened related to LBJ, the News Service was contacted because they knew that the department – under Bruce Roche – kept carefully maintained files.

Throughout her interview, she provides many first-hand recollections related to the history of campus, including individuals, events, and perspectives on a variety of topics. Likely because of her many years of experience a journalist, Murdock’s oral history is a rich source of succinct quotes related to many of the significant stories that she witnessed -- as well as some sidenotes to history.