Mike Murray (a.k.a. “Da Voice”) was a remarkable leader with a unique ability to communicate. His iconic role as “Da Voice” in his service as a sports announcer for Dr. Phillips High School football and basketball, as well as Rollins College women’s volleyball, was the perfect personification of his core belief: use your voice to inspire the best in others. His leadership was also evident in his selfless service to many community initiatives, including Cub Scouts, Pop Warner football, Little League baseball, and Special Olympics bowling.

Mike battled Parkinson’s disease (PD) starting in 2008. He refused to yield to the limitations of this progressive disease. Instead of quitting when his signature announcing voice was severely affected, Murray reached out to others with disabilities. He used one of his other gifts—his superb writing ability—to share his personal experiences and send a compelling message: focus on abilities rather than disabilities.

The Mike Murray Make a Difference Scholarship was fueled by a start-up donation from Mike, his family, and some of his long-time friends and colleagues in the Florida Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC). An enthusiastic outpouring of support from friends, family, acquaintances, and the public enabled the start-up fund to achieve endowment status in 2021, ensuring that this award can support students for generations to come. Donations going forward will not only secure the existence of the scholarship into the future but also make it possible to increase the scholarship awards both in amount and number. Won’t you help?