ISJ October 2019: Some Personal Memories of Edna Murphy

Mary Langford

Edna Murphy was a significant and influential educator during an era when the field of international education was establishing itself as a ‘genre’ with its own unique challenges and opportunities. I knew Edna as a professional colleague (my boss for 8 years at Hampstead International School [HIS]); a mentor for over 30 years, and most significantly as a beloved friend. I met Edna in early 1981 when I joined ACS London; a year later I became her assistant. Originally from New York, Edna was a New Yorker at heart with a solid Catholic education and she was married to a fellow New Yorker, Jim, her lifetime partner and best friend. Edna’s New York edge was softened by living most of her adult life in Europe.