CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1482727
CityViewNC.com | 23 'Give all you have' Retired Sgt. Maj. Ruby Murray donates her time and talents to her community and her students BY JASON BRADY PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAUL RUBIERA S ixteen students sat quietly in perfect rows, listening intently to a fellow student's instructions about an upcoming assignment. Unlike some classrooms, there was no banter or horseplay, just a quiet, all- business demeanor. Sgt. Maj. Ruby Murray bursts out of her adjoining office with the gusto of a drill sergeant. She shoots rapid-fire questions at the students and expects quick answers in return. "Why are you overthinking?" she asks when the answers come too slowly. Murray is a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor at South View High School. She has been there since she retired from the Army in 2016, instructing and mentoring young people — America's future — to be the best they can be in whatever endeavor they pursue. Murray is being recognized for the unselfish giving of her time and talents to her community and — most important — to her students as the recipient of one of CityView Magazine's three 2022 Power of Giving Community Impact Awards presented by PWC. Murray says her mission is to nurture her students to be better citizens — not necessarily perfect, but people who care about their community. e discussion that day in Murray's JROTC classroom centered on her cadets' growth, their promotions in rank, their ability to speak in public, and their education. It also touched on some of their perceived insecurities. "e door is closed," Murray says, pointing to the classroom door. "is is now a safe haven." City Center Gallery & Books Cursive First Citizens Bank ERA Strother Real Estate Coldwell Banker Advantage Huff Family Office Holmes Security Systems Drs. Rakesh and Vinita Gupta Warren R. O'Brien Valley Radiology Sandhills Oral Surgery & Implant Dentistry DBI, Inc. www.connectionsofcc.org f connectionsofcc 119 N. Cool Spring Street Fayetteville NC 28301 Connections of Cumberland County (910) 630-0106 When you give through Cumberland Community Foundation's Giving Catalog, your gift will be amplified and will help women and children right here in our community.