Larry Murray

Robyn and Larry (Murr)

We live in sunny San Diego, California.

Robyn and me at Jana's wedding

Jana, my eldest daughter filling in as my date at a friend's daughter's wedding

I am a former automobile dealer (Murray Buick-GMC Truck).
Now, not so far from the car business, I manage a group of companies
providing a range of products and services to the retail automobile business as well as the mortgage industry.

Stuff about me you might not know...

Convertibles

I love cars, especially convertibles and if it's a sports car, even better. My first roadster was a MGB in British racing green. Unfortunately, it was totaled when a drunk woman in a big ol' chevy drove in the wrong lane and knocked me and the MG into next week. I survived but I spent sevral months in the hospital and in a hospital bed at home.



Classic cars are even better. I owned a 1969 Buick Custom Skylark Convertible for awhile. I bought it partly because I love convertibles and partly because Buick didn't make a current convertible. As a Buick dealer I felt that I should be driving my own brand, and this was the only way I could drive a Buick convertible. The Skylark was just made for cruisin' down the shore with the CD player cranked up! It got a lot of attention and I really enjoyed driving it for a few summers. But, when I left for California I didn't take it with me. I gave it to my son Matt, who drove it for awhile, but he had to put her to sleep eventually. NJ winters are tough on cars.


Being in the car business has afforded me the opportunity to drive lots of different cars. One of my favorites was the red Porsche which I drove for a summer when I was general manager of a Ford dealership. But the next summer, I tricked out a black Mustang 5.0 convertible and that became my summer ride of choice. The following year, Ford made the Mustang GT look suspiciously like my 5.0.



When I got to California, I bought a Sebring convertible. I mean, isn't it a rule that you have to own a convertible in California? If not, it should be. It was the perfect car. It had everything I wanted, including seating for four, all the bells and whistles I like and I could drive it with the top down all year 'round.



I drove it for 6 years, sold it, and went right out and bought another one.



But then one day I decided to treat myself to the ultimate convertible, the SL500. With the convertible hard top, I don't have all the road noise with the top up and when I put it down, I don't have to spend ten minutes putting the boot on it so it will look finished.



Then the lease was up so I decided to get another one. But, this time, I decided to add a few belsl and whistles. This is the 50th Anniversary Edition SL550. they only made 550 of these cars in this color combination. This car has 20" Carlsson wheels, satellite radio, bluetooth phone hook-up, matching custom luggage, and best of all, ventilated seats! When the car is hot, I can turn on the seats and they cool right down. Man, that is nice!

Stained Glass

I really enjoy working in glass. I originally took a class in an effort to meet women. I didn't meet any, but the craft stuck with me. It's good therapy for me - keeps me out of trouble.

Skiing

I have loved skiing for most of my adult life. Many years ago (plus several pounds and a knee operation ago) I was a very active skier and racer.
This was me at the Sugarloaf Nationals - came in fourth.


I've since had a knee operation, so my skiing career is pretty much over. No more racing or hotdogging for me, but I can sit by the fire in the lodge sippin' cognac with the best of 'em.

Theater

I love every aspect of theater, whether performing, attending, or working behind the scenes. My major at U. of Miami was theater, with a minor in voice. After spending some time performing/singing/acting for a living, I made a decision not to pursue an acting/singing career. I seldom regret that decision (even though some of my old classmates are now rich and famous). I was involved with a couple of local theater groups and I participated in every facet of production including directing, tech, crew, sets, and performing. Now, I find it tough to commit to a rehearsal schedule so I haven't done a show for awhile.

Guitar

I have played guitar since I was 10 years old. I played in bands all through high school and college, and then played in coffee houses (remember them?). I have an acoustic guitar that I had custom-built for me in 1975, of the finest woods, by a master guitar builder. It has great tone and I try to play it often.

Sailing

There is nothing like the sound of the waves and the wind in the sails, the smell of the ocean air, and the feel of sun and seabreeze on your skin. I love to take my time, relax, and sail away. Sometimes, the whole family would stay on the boat for the weekend, and sometimes, Matt and I would head down to the marina for a few hours in the afternoon and sail at dusk. I had a Lancer 30 shoal-draft sloop with Genoa Jib. Here's a picture of Matt and me, heading into the marina at sunset.


I sold the boat years ago and I doubt I'll ever buy another, but I still sail all the time here in San Diego. Robyn and I belong to a charter yacht club and we'll take a boat out a couple times a month, usually on weekends. We've talked about going to the islands for a barefoot cruise but I don't know if we'll ever get around to it.

Now let me tell you about my kids...

Jana:

Jana is 31 yrs old and a guidance counselor at a Middle School in Humble, TX. She used to teach math at Eastern Regional H. S. in Voorhees, NJ but decided she liked the one-on-one aspect with the kids better so she became a guidance counselor and then her husband Derek got a promotion which took them to the Houston area. She graduated from The College of New Jersey in 1998 where she majored in mathematics, minored in education, and partied with her sorority sisters at Delta Phi Epsilon. She obtained her first Masters Degree at Temple University in Philadelphia in 2004. She obtained her second masters at the University of Delaware. Jana got married on March 26, 2005 to Derek Ward, whom she met at work. He represents an insurance company which provides institutional 401K programs. Derek is a fine young man with excellent prospects and they are very happy together. They built a house in Delran but Derek has recently been promoted and transferred to Houston so they sold that house and are building a new one in TX. Jana is a remarkable young woman, intelligent, pretty, and very talented. She has a beautiful voice. We once won a karaoke contest together, a memory I cherish to this day. On the other hand, she has quite a sharp wit. In fact, she elevates sarcasm to an art form. I'm told (by her mother) that she gets that from me. That's OK with me. I think she is a wonderful teacher and guidance counselor. However, she showed some previously unsuspected entrepreneurial acumen the summer of her sophomore year, when she answered an ad for a sales position. It was for Vector Marketing which markets Cutco knives. She did so well (ranked #6 out of 150 reps in sales) that she was promoted to manager at the headquarters branch for the summer. Maybe she really did get something from her ol' man. That summer when she called me every time she made a sale, was one of my favorite times. She's all grown up now, as evidenced by the fact that she is now a married woman and a proud homeowner, but I'll always think of her as my "Little girl".

Click here for Jana's Page

Matthew:

Matt is 30 years old and working with me in the mortgage business. He graduated from Stockton State College in Pomona, NJ (just outside Atlantic City). He majored in criminal justice, only because it was the only thing he was interested in enough to actually show up to class. He's a gifted athlete (All state soccer in high school), a great kid, handsome, funny, and protective of his sisters. He spent a dream summer touring Europe in 2003 with his girlfriend Jaime. On July 6th, 2006, they got married here in San Diego. Click here for Matt and Jaime's Page She is very special and they make the perfect couple. in March 2007, they moved out here to San Diego and now they live in LaJolla. Jaime is a photographer and Matt runs my mortgage division. Even though Matt is 6' tall, I still call him "Little Guy". Just habit, I guess.

Click here for Matt's Page

Shayna:

Shayna is 24 years old. She graduated Eastern Regional High School (where her sister used to teach) in June, 2002. She was a good student and quite a talented singer and dancer. She has been studying ballet since she was three, as well as jazz and tap. She also sings and enjoys acting. Shayna appeared in a regional theater production of "Cheaper By The Dozen" at the age of 11 months and has been performing on stage ever since. She choreographed "Annie" in a community theater production, and worked at the JCC camp in the theater activity. She knocked me out when she played Cassie in A Chorus Line at her high school in March of 2001. She is active in theater and hopes to make it her vocation. She's usually appearing in some production somewhere and we post it on her website, www.ShaynaLorraine.com (Shayna Lorraine is her stage name). Shayna is a legal secretary at a law office in Cherry Hill during the day. She is now taller than her mother, but since whe was born, I've always called her "Baby Girl".

Click here for Shayna's Page

Erin:

Erin is 22 years old and until May, was working as an Aesthetician, doing facials and waxing at a salon. She graduated from Cosmetology school in November of 2004. She loves all kinds of music and also has a magnificent voice. Like her sister, Erin has also been performing since she was a toddler. She loves acting and a few years ago landed the part of Miss Hannigan in a community theater production of "Annie". It was her first principal role, and she was wonderful. She is a loving, affectionate, sensitive, beautiful girl with way too much of my moodiness. She is very bright and has some creative writing talent that I hope she will develop and use sometime. In May, she moved out here to California and got married to Luca Giorgiantonio and is now working fro her brother Matt in mortgages. She is the youngest, the "Peanut". We also call her "Air Bear" and that's a long story.

Click here for Erin's Page

I am proud of the kids and I miss them very much. 3000 miles is a long way, but we make sure we see each other at least once a year, more often whenever possible.

Here's the latest news...

as of 03/26/06

For those of you who know that this page hadn't been updated for almost two years, here's the skinny: I moved to California in July of 1997 to be with Robyn. I was here for a couple months, and got a good job with a subprime finance company as Director of Marketing. Things were going great, and then on October 13, something woke me up in the middle of the night. My heart was beating funny. It didn't hurt, but I knew it wasn't right. So we went to the hospital, and to make a long story short, three hours later, I was in emergency open heart surgery, having an aortic aneurism repaired. Then, two days later, I had a stroke. Then, my renal artery started to collapse, so I was shipped off to Stanford University Hospital where they operated on my renal artery and installed a stent to keep it open. There was a point there, where I wasn't expected to make it.

Against all the odds, and to my doctors' complete amazement, I have recovered 100%. I need to lose weight. Otherwise, my blood pressure is under control, and I am healthy again.

I then started working at a dealership in Roseville California, doing what I know best. Through that position, I was recruited to run a large Chrysler store in San Diego in May of 2000, so Robyn and I moved down here to San Diego. Through that job, I came upon just the right opportunity for me at this time in my life, and I am now Executive V. P. and Chief Operating Officer of the VLS Group of Companies, as you may have read above. Robyn and I have a good life together and after almost eight years together, got married in December of 2003. We bought a house in San Diego in April of 2004. It's a 2000 sq. foot condo that is perfect for us. It is on three levels with 20 foot ceilings in some parts, lots of glass with views, and two fireplaces. It's 15 minutes from anywhere in San Diego and there's no lawn to mow. I got my killer barbecue island I always wanted but never bothered to get, and lots of space in the garage for two cars and my stained glass workshop. We updated the kitchen with new lighting and granite marble countertops before Matt and Jaime's wedding last year. All in all, the house is incredible and life is good.

OK, that's all the news I have right now, but I'll update this section monthly, so please check back!

Links to some interesting sites on the Web

Quotable Quotes: Also called "What the hell were they smokin' when they said that! Great fun!
A cappella: A great site for fans and practitioners of A cappella singing.
Playbill online: An absolute must for all theater lovers!
Internet Movie Database: INCREDIBLE database of every movie ever made as well as the cast and crew...
Highlander: This is the official website for the TV show and movies. I'm a big fan!
Mapquest: Amazing site for customizable maps of anywhere...you can even get driving directions!
James Taylor: An excellent page about my favorite singer/songwriter.
Howard Stern: What can I say? I enjoy listening to him; he makes me laugh! This is a good page for fans.
Boxerjam: Interactive puzzles, games and trivia contests. Addictive.
Edmunds car prices: Everything you need to know before you shop for a new or used vehicle, including dealer costs!
Riddler's Games: More games; free of course!
Icon Depot: The best site I've found for for picking up graphics, icons, lines and backgrounds for your webpage.
Parenthood: Great page for anyone struggling to raise children and not screw it up. I wish I'd had this then!
Mensa: The organization for the top 2% in IQ. Check out some really interesting personal webpages.
New Warrior Training: If you are a man, you MUST check this page out. This training may have saved my life!
C. F. Martin & Co.: The famous Martin Guitar Co., where they make the finest guitars in the world.
Mail-order brides from the Philipines: I included this site just because I found it too bizarre for words!

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© 1996,2004 by Lawrence Murray, All Rights Reserved

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