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Murray Turnbull

The University of Hawaiʻi community is saddened by news of the passing of gifted artist and UH Mānoa Professor Emeritus Murray Turnbull. He passed away at his Mānoa home on August 22. He was 95.

From his obituary in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser: “A gifted artist and educator, Murray Turnbull left a distinctive mark on the physical landscape of his adopted Hawaiʻi home, in the myriad galleries that displayed his work, and in the lives of thousands of scholars who passed through the University of Hawaiʻi and the East-West Center.

“Perhaps best known as the founder of the East-West Center, Turnbull was a prolific painter and sculptor and a highly influential figure in the UH system, where his keen intellect and unconventional thinking helped to expand traditional notions of education.”

A public commemorative celebration of his life will be held on September 27 at 10 a.m. at the UH Mānoa Art Auditorium, where Turnbull gave numerous lectures and practiced his trumpet. All are welcome and those wishing to say a few remarks will have the opportunity to do so. Aloha wear suggested.

Murray’s family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his name to the Friends of the Library of Hawaiʻi, 690 Pohukaina St., Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96813.

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