Guy Murchie

Guy Murchie (Jr.) (25 January 1907 - 8 July 1997), the son of Ethel A. and Guy Murchie Sr.,^[1][2] was a writer, Chicago Tribune photographer, staff artist and reporter, who had served as a war correspondent. He was briefly married to Barbara Cooney (1944–1947), with whom he shared two children (Gretel and Barnaby).^[3] He was a flight instructor and a practising member of the Bahá'í Faith. His books included Men on the Horizon (1932), and Book of the Month Club^[4] members Song of the Sky (1954), Music of the Spheres (1961), and The Seven Mysteries of Life (1978). Murchie also illustrated his books with etchings and woodcuts of his own design.

Up to his first book and marriage

Guy Sr was a Harvard graduate, Harvard Law School graduate, in Theordore Roosevelt's Rough Riders, a US Marshall, an prominent attourney in Boston^[5] and was an attourney serving Winston Churchill.^[6] His mother was the first woman designer for equipping a seaplane for Sikorsky Aircraft.^[7] Sitting President Theodore Roosevelt and his wife attended Guy Jr.'s christening.^[8] His parents set a high bar of activity in life.

Guy Jr was raised as an Episcopalian,^[9] attended Kent School, which at the time was just "for Boys", graduated from Harvard in 1929^[10] as an impressive 6' 6" and 225 lbs.^[2][11] But from this heritage of privilege and physical capacity he instead turned to traveling and making his own way - neither did he return to the arena of Bostonian privilege. Instead he left before receiving his credentials on a trip headed to the far-east. Murchie returned to the States in 1930. From the experience he gained a deep seated appreciation for the basic common humanity across any divide of culture,^[9] and in 1932 published his first book (and his own illustrations) - Men on the Horizon in Boston^[12] and London,^[13] dedicated it to his mother, and married Eleanor Forrester Parker Cushman.^[2][10] Cushman was some 26 years his senior. Though the marriage eventually failed Murchie dedicated a book of his in later years to her after she died in 1960.

Men on the Horizon

Richard E. Byrd wrote the forward on the heals of his first Antarctic expedition - and wrote of first being interested in the "clean man" of Murchie, and did not take sides in Murchie's views on the governments of the day but was very struck by the encounter with people.^[12]

Murchie traveled as a "common man" from Boston to Panama, San Francisco, Alaska, Hawaii, and then down the orient side of the Pacific to Japan, the Philippines, and China working as an able seaman.^[14] From China he traveled inland into Russia where he passed as a peasant and back to Korea and then all the way to Moscow and then into Poland as a laborer. He was struck by the generosity of the poor.^[9] While in the Orient he studied Buddhism and found it generally spiritual.

The book was generally well received in America,^[15] United Kingdom,^[16] Australia,^[17] and New Zealand.^[18]

Journalist

A newspaper story of his was published in the "Winnipeg Tribune" in 1934,^[19] and a piece in New Zealand in 1935,^[20] but his steady job was at the Chicago Tribune. Some 37 news stories were then printed in the Chicago Tribune under his name.^[21] The first story under his name at the Chicago Tribune was in 1934, followed by three in 1935, 1 in 1936, (the same year he earned his pilot's license,)^[2] none in 1937, and two in 1938. Some stories of his were noted in other newspapers.^[22] He co-wrote Soldiers of Darkness with Thomas R. Gowenlock, published in 1937.^[23][24]

Murchie's further interest in the religion began in this period when he was tasked with writing an article about the Bahá'í House of Worship at Wilmette, Illinois around 1938.^[2][25][26] and then officially joined the religion 1939.^[27] He had been impressed with the unique qualities of the temple being a blend of east and west styles, and extended his interest when his insights of the biological unity of humanity was raised to a spiritual affirmation.^[2]

Then he began coverage of World War II with five stories printed in 1939,^[21] actually went overseas with fourteen in 1940, (the year he was also unjured in an air raid,)^[28] three in 1941, five in 1942. Then he was back in the States.

Aviator, Camp founder and teacher

In 1942 Murchie left the Tribune and married Barbara Cooney. Together they had two children,^[3] and he worked as a flight instructor and aerial navigator.^[2][4]

His mother Ethel died in Florida in 1943^[1] and he inherited the "Fairways Manor house" in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada.^[1][29] A relative tried to visit him in January 1944 back in the States but he had already moved.^[30] In 1946 the Murchie family moved to Pepperell, Massachusetts and worked with the high school.^[31] In 1947 the book Saint Croix, the Sentinel River was published^[32] and it is likely that this was written during time spent in St. Andrews at the house,^[1] while Cooney and Murchie divorced in 1947.^[3] Afterwards Murchie set up Apple Hill Camp, an international summer place for children in New Hampshire, operating it for 11 years^[4] during which he married Katie Rautenstrauch and both also worked as teachers.^[33] Holocaust survivor Alex Levy recalls working for Murchie at the camp.^[34]

Saint Croix, the Sentinel River

Named and about the history of the Saint Croix River today forming part of the border between Maine and New Brunswick. Saint Croix, the Sentinel River was well received academically^[35] and popularly^[36] at the time. However it continues to be of relevance as it was noted in the 1970s^[37] and then cited in post-2000 work on the internet.^[38]

Writer and Bahá'í

While the Chicago Tribune then printed a couple more stories of his in 1954 and 1961^[21] most of his work was either published in relationship to the Bahá'í Faith or books that would mention it.

Song of the Sky

From his experience and investigations as an aviator and flight instructor Murchie published the Song of the Sky in 1954 but the book spoke of spiritual issues as well.^[39] In it he noted Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith.^[40] The American Museum of Natural History awarded him the John Burroughs Medal in 1956 for Song of the Sky.^[41] It was, apparently unintentionally, plagiarized in 1994.^[42]

Bahá'í

In 1954 Murchie toured Iran visiting several cites holy to Bahá'ís.^[43] Diary notes of his travels became the basis of a series of articles in the 1960s and later. But starting in 1955 he began to be more public with his choice of religion^[44] - several news stories in the wider media noted it which were closely followed by Bahá'ís.^[45] However it wasn't until the passing of his father in 1958^[5] that he became even more public - not least was his own public statement in 1958 in the Chicago Tribune I am a Bahá'í.^[9] In referencing "the guardian" it may have been written before 1957, the year of the passing of Shoghi Effendi. This publicity was again noted by the Bahá'ís,^[46] reportedly caused a boost in visitors to the Bahá'í temple,^[47] and liked so much that it was then released as a pamphlet,^[48] as well as in letters to the editors for correction.^[49] In it he noted the impressive history of the Báb, Tahirih, the encounter of Edward G. Browne with Bahá'u'lláh, the position and example of `Abdu'l-Bahá and appointed Guardian, and the religion's presence in the life of historically notable people like Marie of Romania and was close to President Wilson.^[9] Selections from it were used in a foreign language primer.^[50]

Murchie would be visible aiding various Bahá'í talks and classes of study on the religion occasionally from the 1960s into the 1980s,^[51] and would publish many more articles related to the religion printed in Bahá'í News:

• A visit to Persia across 5 issues^[43]
• Nayriz - Scene of Vahid's Heroism,^[52]
• The House of Quddus in Mashhad,^[53]
• Journey through Northern Iran,^[54]
• Máh-Kú and Tabriz - Imprisonment and Martyrdom.^[55]
• The Flowering of the Planet (in 1974)^[56]

Music of the Spheres

Originally published in 1961^[57] it was revised and printed in 1967^[58] and then reprinted in 1979.^[59] The Society of Midland Authors awarded one of its "Thormond Monsen" to Murchie's Music of the Spheres which, as he was then residing in Spain, the managing director of the US Baha'i Publishing trust accepted the award on his behalf.^[60] It was generally positively reviewed.^[61]

Of it Isaac Asimov is noted saying "One can only stand amazed at the breadth of Mr. Murchie's understanding and his ability to put the facts and speculations of science into colorful and nontechnical language."^[4] Kurt Vonnegut has noted his indebtedness to it as well.^[62]

Seven Mysteries of Life

In 1978 he published The Seven Mysteries of Life,^[63] it was reprinted in 1981^[64] and 1999.^[65] Parts of the book appeared in Bahá'í News as well as other periodicals like the Old Farmer's Almanac. The "Seven Mysteries" are: abstraction, interraliation, omnipresence, polarity, transcendence, germination and divinity. It discusses senses, super-organism, language, properties of the mind, and individual consciousness.^[66] His review of literature identified some 32 senses which has been noted online.^[67]

In it he quoted a Serbian proverb which is seen as part of the heritage of the idea put forth as We are made of star stuff: "Be humble for you are made of dung. Be noble for you are made of stars."^[68]

Last years

In January 1990 the Toronto newspaper The Globe and Mail published a string of articles by Murchie - a couple new^[69] and eight reprints from 1978.^[70] Murchie died 1997 in Fullerton, California.^[4][71]

Bibliography

• Murchie Jr, Guy (1954). Song of the Sky (3rd ed.). Cambridge Mass: Riverside Press Cambridge. ISBN 0-87165-030-4. 
• Guy Murchie Jr (1954). The World Above. Dell. 
• Guy Murchie Jr (1960). The World Aloft. Houghton Mifflin. 
• Guy Murchie (1961). Music of the spheres. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-486-21809-0. 
• Guy Murchie Jr (1967). Microcosm: matter, atoms, waves, radiation, relativity. Dover Publications. 
• Guy Murchie Jr (1999). The Seven Mysteries of Life: An Exploration in Science & Philosophy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0-395-95791-5. 
• Guy Murchie Jr (1995). The Soul School: Confessions of a Passenger on Planet Earth. Fithian Press. ISBN 978-1-56474-105-9. 

References

Authority control VIAF: 108302160 ISNI: 0000 0001 1002 7563 SUDOC: 154660280