History
Mr. Sanford Sayre Murphey founded The Elizabeth W. Murphey School in memory of his mother in 1922. Mr. Murphey left Dover in early life and settled in Colorado where he became a wealthy and successful coalmine operator by exercise of rare judgment and unusual courage and ability. He was one of the outstanding independent operators there for many years, successfully meeting the keenest competition and dealing justly at all times with those in his employ. He was heard to say near his death that he had never known a strike in one of his mines. Thinking back to the climate and the times of the early 1900’s, this fact alone is sufficient to show the justness of the man.
Using the same keen judgment that led to his success in business, he realized that the keynote of the School is the individual child, and more important than equipment and small grouping is the personnel of the School. They should be of sound moral character and properly qualified for the important task of forming the character of the young.
Mr. Murphey showed great vision in realizing that education is recognized as a twenty-four hour a day process and not confined to the hours spent in the schoolroom.
In his own words, Mr. Murphey named the facility a school because:
“I wish it to be free from those unhappy associations which so often have been connected with orphanages and children’s ‘homes’; and furthermore because I conceive the rearing of children in all aspects as an educational work. The purpose of the School, therefore, is nothing less than a plan to meet, insofar as possible, the needs of every child in its care to the end that these children will be well fortified to meet the problems of life in whatever manner they may present themselves. With splendid equipment to work with and an employee alive to its responsibilities, there should result a type of citizenry of whom all will be proud.”