Man who fought for Carson City loses battle with leukemia

One of Carson City's toughest fighters finally lost his battle with leukemia on Thursday.

Dick Murray, 68, was well known to readers of the Nevada Appeal.

Sometimes insightful, but just as often inciting, Murray would turn convention on its head, firing back at government policy and leaders with his column in the Nevada Appeal.

In his last months, Murray prepared for his departure by writing a retrospective. "The Life and Times of Richard Arthur Murray" chronicles his youth in Los Angeles, his careers in the Navy and as an administrator at Hughes Aircraft Co., and his retirement in Carson City.

But as his fans and those who disagreed with him know, retirement didn't come easy for Murray. Since 1992, he traded time writing for the Appeal and hosting the Carson Access Television show "Carson Crossfire," which he had a hand in developing.

Crossfire co-hosts Karl Neathammer and Shelley Aldean remember Murray as a man who made himself a target "by standing on a mountain."

"He was catalytic," Aldean said. "Dick was Carson City's gadfly. His spirit was pretty indomitable."

Even though his death was premature, Murray handled it with the efficiency and self-awareness that he carried through all his challenges, Neathammer said.

"I've never seen anyone take it like Dick," he said. "The lesson to learn from Dick's death is that you have to be engaged in your disease."

Neathammer joked that Murray would send e-mail messages to his doctors, relating the latest developments in the treatment of Chronic Myeologenous Leukemia, the strain which Murray suffered. Since his diagnosis in 1995, Murray fought a bleak six-month prognosis and extended his life five more years.

Bob Thomas, fellow Appeal columnist and a friend of Murray, said Carson City lost one of its strongest voices with his passing.

"He is one of the most straightforward people I ever met," he said. "He dug into Carson City.

"And no one could dispute him on the facts. He was a great researcher."

Thomas, who alternated space with Murray on the editorial page, said the tone of Murray's articles and television banter may have created the false impression that he was unbending in his belief. On the contrary, Thomas said, Murray would consider any point of view.

"I found him to have more of an open mind than most people did," he said. "If the facts were right, he could change his mind."

When Murray moved to Carson City in 1989, he immediately immersed himself in local politics, particularly Carson City Mainstreet. The organization was one of the precursors to the downtown redevelopment district.

Aldean said Murray was proud of Mainstreet's influence. Murray was a Mason and an active member of the Republican Party.

A celebration of Murray's life will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Masonic Temple at 113 East Washington Street. He is survived by his wife, Marie; two children, Dana and April; and six grandchildren.