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Leaving a Legacy
Family of Judy Murray ’66 Honors her Legacy with a Gift to Regis College
On February 29, 2024, Regis College alumni, faculty, staff, and students gathered along with the family of the late Judy Murray ’66 to celebrate Judy’s life and her accomplishments, and to commemorate the incredible memorial gift made from Judy’s estate to support the Richard and Sheila Young School of Nursing (pictured right).
Judy Murray graduated from Regis in 1966 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. After graduation, she spent several years in a religious order then realized that her life path was destined to take a different direction. Judy achieved a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Columbia University and then a master's degree in the nurse practitioner program at the University of Pennsylvania. Her professional career spanned many decades, helping countless patients get on the path to good health. Judy first worked as a Home Health Nurse with the Boston VNA, then worked as a nurse practitioner at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Judy’s work in the final chapter of her nursing career was at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts as a Case Manager.
Prior to Judy’s untimely passing in 2014, she established the Judith Murray MSJA Class of 1962 Legacy Scholarship at Saint Joseph Prep High School in Boston, where she attended high school prior to enrolling at Regis in the fall of 1962. When the school announced its closing in February 2023, Judy’s family was notified from Saint Joseph Prep and asked what the family’s desire was concerning the sizeable fund of scholarship dollars that still remained in the account.
"We were all saddened to hear the news of St. Joseph’s Prep’s impending closing, as all the Murray family sisters attended MSJA, says Doris Sinkevich, Judy’s youngest sister. “But my family and I were happy to hear that we would have the opportunity to transfer the funds from Judy’s named scholarship to another worthy institution. After much discussion with my siblings, we knew we were making the right decision in gifting the funds to Regis College to benefit the nursing students to honor our sister’s legacy.”
The nearly $33,000 gift made in Judy's honor has already had an incredible impact on nursing students in all different programs, funding several pieces of equipment in Regis' labor and delivery lab.
“All of our nursing students participate in this lab during their time at Regis, and thanks to this funding we were able to purchase a birthing bed, an infant warmer, and IV pumps,” says Assistant Professor and Director of the Clinical Resource and Simulation Center Mary Lou Cullen, DNP, RN, ACCNS, CNE, CHSE. “This equipment is exactly what you would find in a hospital, which allows our students to learn with the same equipment they will use when they are at the bedside as practicing nurses. Having this equipment in our labs has been a game-changer.”
Linet Tsaturyan ’24, a student in Regis’ 24-month accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, agrees.
“The simulation lab was the first time I actually saw a birthing bed,” says Tsaturyan. “The bed goes into a variety of positions that can help advance labor, enable efficient contractions, and aid in pain management. It also enables healthcare providers to swiftly and effectively respond to the needs of patients during labor and delivery, even in emergency scenarios. When I witnessed a birth during maternity clinicals, the doctor said, ‘let's break the bed, it's time,’ and I knew exactly what she was talking about because of my experience in the Regis labs. To see it happen in front of my eyes with a real patient was pretty fascinating.”
Sinkevich and her family members enjoyed a tour of the Young School of Nursing, and shared how much Judy would have loved how these funds are being used.
“Judy was truly such a wonderful soul, and had a lifelong quest for learning and education,” says Sinkevich. “This gift made to Regis from her estate for the nursing lab would be something she would strongly support. I know she is smiling down on us all as this wonderful equipment is put to excellent use to educate the future nurses of the Commonwealth and beyond.”
A plaque was placed in the labor and delivery lab (pictured left) to commemorate this incredible gift made in Judy’s honor, and her legacy will live on for generations to come as Regis continues to educate the nurses of tomorrow.
Nationally recognized as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education, the Young School of Nursing at Regis College offers specialized programs for students at all levels in their careers, from undergraduate to doctoral students. In 2023 alone, Regis graduated over 900 nurses, bringing the total to more than 10,000 Regis nurses making a difference in communities around the world.