Dr. Richard Murphy, 65, Was Linguistics Professor

Dr. Richard A. Murphy, son of the late George and Lucy Gavigan Murphy of Fall River, died on July 6, after suffering a stroke, in Washington, D.C. He was 65.

Dr. Murphy was a graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High School, Brown University (summa cum laude) and Cornell University. He received many academic honors, including Fulbright and Ford Foundation Scholarships. He was also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.

During his professional career, he taught linguistics at Bosphorus University in Istanbul, Turkey during the 1960s and 1970s. He recently retired from the U.S. Foreign Service, where he served as English language specialist, setting up English language and educational programs in Europe and Latin America.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Karin, of Rockville, Md.; his daughter, Shirin, of New York city; his sister, Rosemary Brown, of Vineyard Haven, as well as several nieces and nephews. His sister, Virginia Murphy, and brothers, George and John Murphy, preceded him in death.

A private memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, July 12, at Pumphrey's Funeral Home, 7557 Wisconsin avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814.