Murphy's String Figures

I first met Jim Murphy when he was my honors Math teacher at the LaGuardia HS of Music and Art, in NYC. He and I had kept in touch through my college years, but when I moved to Brooklyn, I fell out of touch.

In 2011, I "googled" his name. It is a common name, but I scrolled down and there he was: showing off his string figures!

We had lunch at a pub and exchanged so many stories. Among them, he told me about teaching string figures to over twenty years of young minds at LaGuardia high school: for a few moments. he transformed into the "Mr Murphy" that I once knew: animated and bigger than life, with a fire in his eyes that was sparked by the inspiration of young minds. Telling other stories, the gracefully aging man talked about his wife, his kids and his grandkids. He had been travelling and enjoying retirement.

I joked with him about how it was a shame that he couldn't teach strings forever, and in all schools across the city, and across the world! I imagined aloud about a PBS series, like Carl Sagan's Cosmos. We laughed at the limitations of space, time and mortality. . .

One year later, we returned to that pub. Jim placed a book in the middle of the table. He had written a book! After our conversation, he had collected all of his strings lessons into a book!!

why string figures: an educational revolution, by james r. murphy https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/151887956X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3

And that was the beginning of our adventure. . .

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