Glenn Murphy was born in Boulder, Colorado on January 17, 1908. He graduated from Colorado State Preparatory School in 1925. He received his B.S. (1929), and M.S. (1930) from the University of Colorado in civil engineering. Murphy then traveled to the University of Illinois to work as a research graduate assistant and achieved a second M.S. (1932) in civil engineering. He earned his Ph.D. (1935) from Iowa State College (University) in theoretical and applied mechanics. The University of Colorado awarded Murphy the degree of Civil Engineer (1937) and the degree of Doctor of Science (1973).



At Iowa State, Murphy was hired as an Instructor (1932-1934) in theoretical and applied mechanics. He was promoted to Assistant Professor (1934-1938), Associate Professor (1938-1941), Professor (1941-1956), and Distinguished Professor (1956-1978). Murphy supported the University in an administrative capacity by serving as Head (1952-1955) of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Head (1955-1960) of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Chairman (1952-1960) of the Nuclear Engineering Administration Committee, and Head (1960-1973) of the Nuclear Engineering Department. Murphy was also Senior Engineer (1948-1963) for the Institute for Atomic Research at Iowa State University. Murphy was the Iowa State University Engineering Education Projects Coordinator (1972-1978) and he also served on the curriculum committee of the Curtiss-Wright Engineering Cadette Program which was created during World War II in order to train women in aeronautical engineering theory and design at a number of colleges and universities across the country.



Murphy performed research in a variety of fields including fluid dynamics, stress analysis, property of materials, similitude, and nuclear reactor dynamics and shielding, however, he is most prominently known for his work in engineering education as a teacher and author. Murphy served as major professor for 111 Ph.D. candidates and for 124 master’s degree candidates. He was the author of eight college textbooks and co-author on an additional six others and he had over 50 papers published in engineering journals. Murphy was a consultant for a variety of private and governmental organizations and an active member in a number of scientific organizations, including the American Society for Engineering Education in which he served on numerous committees and as President (1962-1963).



In recognition of his years of service and valuable research, Murphy received many honors. Murphy was first to be named Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering (1956) by Iowa State University. He was also awarded the George Westinghouse Award (1951) from the American Society for Engineering Education; Distinguished Service Award (1964) from the Iowa Engineering Society; Alumni Honor Award for Distinguished Service in Engineering (1968) from the University of Illinois; Faculty Citation (1968) from Iowa State University.



Glenn Murphy married Frances Pearce of Los Angeles, California, in 1934. He passed away on April 3, 1978, while returning home from a trip to Korea where he had served as a consultant and advisor to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science in Seoul.