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On Saturday morning at the Annual Representative Assembly, Patrick Duffy and Kathleen Murphy-House were each awarded honorary membership in the Association.
When introducing Duffy, Association Past President Carol Henderson lauded his contributions to the teaching profession in Alberta. Duffy, a native of Prince Edward Island, began teaching in 1981 in Fort Vermilion before heading to Grande Prairie Catholic in 1984, where he stayed until he retired in 2013. From 2005 until his retirement, Duffy served on the Provincial Executive Council as District Representative (DR) for the North West geographic district. Henderson, too, was on Council during that time and shared her appreciation for Duffy’s thoughtfulness, intelligence, commitment to teachers and the profession, and sense of humour. “We could hardly wait until it was Pat’s turn to give his DR reports,” said Henderson. “Not only were they thorough and represented the local, they were hilarious.”
“Thorough and hilarious” also describes Duffy’s acceptance speech. He effortlessly transitioned from humour to humility, conviction to inspiration. His tale of a heifer on his farm that he’d named after Henderson earned big laughs. He spoke of his admiration for the Association and his appreciation for receiving its highest honour. The 418 Assembly teacher delegates treated him to a standing ovation in response to his fiery statement on how the Association’s “level of openness, transparency and sincerity is an example for all public institutions, especially for political parties who love to preach about this lofty goal, but never come close to achieving [it].”
Association Vice-President Greg Jeffrey introduced Murphy-House as an “Alberta Teachers’ Association’s Iron Lady.” He enlightened delegates about Murphy-House’s involvement with the Association throughout her Alberta-based teaching career, which began in 1979, after she arrived in Fort McMurray via Newfoundland. He cited her membership on many Association committees, her role as an ATA representative on the Council of Alberta School Superintendents and her 10 years on the executive of the Council for School Leadership. He made special note of her contributions to the Blue Ribbon Panel on School Administration struck by the Association in response to a recommendation by the 2002 Alberta Commission on Learning to pull principals from the Association’s membership. “Her tireless efforts are a big part of why principals are still members,” said Jeffrey.
With understated humour, Murphy-House rejected the Iron Lady label, saying she had never been called that—except at home. However, it became clear she embodied the resolve and determination of that iconic Iron Lady (former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher) when it came to doing what was right for her staff, students and parents.
Reflecting on her 35-year career with Fort McMurray Catholic, Murphy-House remembered becoming a school administrator at the age of 26 and readily accepting the multifaceted role that included all manner of responsibility, from student safety, budgets and facility management to “God forbid, neighbourhood traffic.” She said she viewed supporting professional development opportunities for her staff as a way to ensure optimal student learning, and as one of her most rewarding tasks. She talked with a particular air of satisfaction about the last four years of her career in the district. That’s when she was made director of school administration, a position in which she mentored new principals and vice-principals and fostered instructional leadership. Though retired since 2012, Murphy-House revealed that her hopes of returning to the fray were fleetingly buoyed when Associate Executive Secretary Dennis Theobald called to inform her she had been selected to receive honorary membership.
“When Dennis called me—and I was in Florida—I thought he was calling me to sit on a committee, but this is better.”
It sure is. And well deserved, too, by both Murphy-House and Duffy. ❚
