LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION mourning the death of Richard L. Murphy, distin-
guished citizen and devoted member of his community

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
citizens of the State of New York whose lifework and civic endeavor
served to enhance the quality of life in their communities and the great
State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Richard Murphy, former Commissioner of the New York City
Department of Youth Services, founder of Rheedlen Foundation (now known
as Harlem Children's Zone), and life-long pioneer in the development and
delivery of innovative youth development services, died on February 14,
2013, at the age of 68; and
WHEREAS, Richard Murphy founded Rheedlen Foundation in 1970; it was
one of the earliest community-based organizations to link providing
positive youth development activities with child welfare services and
school-based education services; he led Rheedlen for 20 years until 1990
when he was named Commissioner of the Department of Youth Services; and
WHEREAS, During Richard Murphy's four year tenure, New York City
invested a significant amount annually in the creation of new youth
opportunities including conceiving and implementing the "Cops and Kids"
Program, NYC Youthline and the BEACON schools which opened school doors
beyond the traditional hours of 8AM to 3PM; and
WHEREAS, The Beacons model was documented by the National Institute
for Justice in 1992 as an innovative and effective model of community-
based crime prevention; as an educational model, Beacons was replicated
in six other cities during the 1990s; and
WHEREAS, Richard Murphy served as Director at the Center for Youth
Development & Policy Research from 1995-2002; from 2002 to 2006, he
served as Executive Director of FoodChange, an organization devoted to
promoting access to nutritious food and adequate income; and
WHEREAS, In 2004 and onward, FoodChange developed the largest Earned
Income Tax Credit (EITC) operation in the United States, returning a
significant amount to lower income New Yorkers; during Richard Murphy's
tenure, FoodChange also conceived and implemented Food and Finance High
School, the nation's premier Culinary Arts public high school, integrat-
ing culinary and academic instruction; and
WHEREAS, In 2006, Richard Murphy founded iMapAmerica, which provides
tools that allow youth to chart their communities and sustain local
websites which feed a national website to guarantee all young people
access to safe and accurate information to make better decisions; and
WHEREAS, A recipient of the Ellen Laurie Award in 1988, the Georgetown
Bicentennial Medal in 1989, and the Lewis H. Hines Award in 2000, Rich-
ard Murphy was Co-Founder of the Neighborhood Family Services Coalition
(NFSC) and Founding Trustee, Resources for Children with Special Needs;
and
WHEREAS, Richard Murphy's commitment to excellence, and his spirit of
humanity, carried over into all fields of enterprise, including charita-
ble and civic endeavors; and
WHEREAS, Predeceased by his parents, Bernard and Althea Wiener Murphy,
Richard Murphy is survived by his children, Noel and Asia, his grand-
child, Josiah, his siblings, Barry, Catherine, Brian and Katharine, as
well as his niece and nephew Jennifer and Michael, along with many
grandnephews and nieces; and
WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of
compassion, Richard Murphy leaves behind a legacy which will long endure
the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to all he
served and befriended; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Richard L. Murphy, distinguished citizen and devoted
member of his community; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Richard L. Murphy.