By Stuart Hall<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few years ago, Bud Murphy received an invitation from the North Carolina Textile Foundation<\/a> to attend a small luncheon that featured David Hinks<\/a>, dean of N.C. State University\u2019s Wilson College of Textiles, as one of the speakers.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
So Murphy attended the luncheon unsure of what would be the focus of Hinks\u2019 message. By the end, two themes resonated with Murphy: perseverance and purpose. <\/span>\u201cI was really impressed by a couple of comments he made about how N.C. State did not close its textile department when the business went overseas,\u201d said Murphy, noting that the textile programs at both Clemson University and Auburn University were adversely affected by the off-shoring. \u201cAlso, I was very impressed with some of the things N.C. State is doing now, dealing with the military. I\u2019m involved working with disabled veterans and it just kind of hit home to me that the textile department was developing nonwoven products to improve soldier capabilities and protection<\/a>.\u201d<\/span> <\/span>Murphy also left the luncheon with a new sense of pride for his school. To that point, Murphy had, by his own admission, been a sporadic low-end donor to N.C. State. But in 2017, Murphy began upping his donations. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
On November 11, Murphy and his wife, Emily, were in Raleigh to attend N.C. State\u2019s football game against the University of Louisville as a guest of the NC Textile Foundation. The weather was miserable, so the Murphys opted to return back to Atlanta early, but not before having lunch with Hinks and NCTF Executive Director Michael Ward<\/a> near campus. <\/span>Over lunch, Murphy informed Hinks and Ward that, as a result of a unique financial transaction, he was going to make a significant gift to the Foundation that could be used at the discretion of the dean. <\/span>\u201cI guess the bottom line is that I realized that even though I had felt in my career embarrassed about having a textile degree because of what happened in the industry, [attending N.C. State] did allow me to get a college education, allow me to be in the industry I was in and provide for my family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Retired, Murphy now heads the Atlanta chapter of <\/span>Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing<\/span><\/a>, which aids in the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active and veteran military service members through fly fishing and associated activities. <\/span>\u201cWe teach them how to build a fly rod, make various flies, and instruct them how to cast. Then we take them on local and national fishing trips,\u201d <\/span>said Murphy, who took up the sport in his mid- to late-50s and whose son is a fly fishing guide in Montana. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Stuart Hall<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few years ago, Bud Murphy received an invitation from the North Carolina Textile Foundation<\/a> to attend a small luncheon that featured David Hinks<\/a>, dean of N.C. State University\u2019s Wilson College of Textiles, as one of the speakers.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
So Murphy attended the luncheon unsure of what would be the focus of Hinks\u2019 message. By the end, two themes resonated with Murphy: perseverance and purpose. <\/span>\u201cI was really impressed by a couple of comments he made about how N.C. State did not close its textile department when the business went overseas,\u201d said Murphy, noting that the textile programs at both Clemson University and Auburn University were adversely affected by the off-shoring. \u201cAlso, I was very impressed with some of the things N.C. State is doing now, dealing with the military. I\u2019m involved working with disabled veterans and it just kind of hit home to me that the textile department was developing nonwoven products to improve soldier capabilities and protection<\/a>.\u201d<\/span> <\/span>Murphy also left the luncheon with a new sense of pride for his school. To that point, Murphy had, by his own admission, been a sporadic low-end donor to N.C. State. But in 2017, Murphy began upping his donations. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
On November 11, Murphy and his wife, Emily, were in Raleigh to attend N.C. State\u2019s football game against the University of Louisville as a guest of the NC Textile Foundation. The weather was miserable, so the Murphys opted to return back to Atlanta early, but not before having lunch with Hinks and NCTF Executive Director Michael Ward<\/a> near campus. <\/span>Over lunch, Murphy informed Hinks and Ward that, as a result of a unique financial transaction, he was going to make a significant gift to the Foundation that could be used at the discretion of the dean. <\/span>\u201cI guess the bottom line is that I realized that even though I had felt in my career embarrassed about having a textile degree because of what happened in the industry, [attending N.C. State] did allow me to get a college education, allow me to be in the industry I was in and provide for my family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Retired, Murphy now heads the Atlanta chapter of <\/span>Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing<\/span><\/a>, which aids in the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active and veteran military service members through fly fishing and associated activities. <\/span>\u201cWe teach them how to build a fly rod, make various flies, and instruct them how to cast. Then we take them on local and national fishing trips,\u201d <\/span>said Murphy, who took up the sport in his mid- to late-50s and whose son is a fly fishing guide in Montana. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n