Murray, Gertrude (1912-)

Gertrude Murray was a leader in Canada in the field of school broadcasts and telecasts: the extensive co-operative plan she and others established made possible a high standard of school broadcasting across Canada. Murray was born on September 9, 1912, in Weyburn. As a child, she enjoyed writing stories for the Torch Bearer, a pamphlet distributed by the Leader-Post; this love of writing served her well later in her career with the provincial Department of Education. Following Normal School in Moose Jaw, Gertrude Murray taught school in Saskatchewan for thirteen years and then joined the Department of Education in the Audiovisual Branch. In 1950 she became Supervisor of School Broadcasts, and then was appointed Chief of Instructional Resources that included radio, television, film services and school libraries.

Murray prepared radio programs for every weekday from October to May each year; she wrote scripts for school broadcasts, and Rj Staples wrote the musical scores. To celebrate Saskatchewan’s Diamond Jubilee in 1965, she collaborated with Staples on “Saskatchewan at Work” and “Saskatchewan Song.” In 1966–67, she worked with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and traveled to West Africa with a team of five other Canadians, working with Ghana’s Ministry of Education and promoting the use of media along with curriculum research and development. UNESCO awarded Gertrude Murray a medal in 1965 for her report on the Year of the Child; and in 1977 she was awarded an AMTEC (Association for Media and Technology in Education in Canada) Leadership Award. Upon her retirement she continued to live in Regina.

Naomi Kral