Donald T. Murray, Artist (1929-2018)

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, USGenWeb Don Murray allowed me to scan his entire collection of pen & ink drawings and watercolor paintings (155 pieces), with the intent of posting them online at some point. Sadly, Don died on March 15, 2018, before he could see a website completed. These pages are in memory of Don Murray, a good friend and superb illustrator. Tom Costello

Don Murray - Photo, July 2016

Donald T. Murray
(1929 – 2018)
Minooka Pen & Ink Artist

These pen & ink drawings, and watercolor and acrylic paintings were created by artist Donald T. Murray, a West Scranton native, who resided in Minooka for sixty-two years with his wife, the former Dorothy Kearney.

Don was the son of Joseph and Ann (Toomey) Murray. He had two siblings, an older brother, Joe, and a younger sister, Maureen. His son, Timothy Murray, a Scranton fireman, died in 2012 at the age of 54. Tim shared his father’s art talent. He was a skilled calligrapher who worked as a commercial draftsman early in his career.

Don’s father maintained train cars for the Central Railroad of New Jersey in Scranton, where Don also worked as a teenager. This personal connection made the freight and passenger station a favorite subject of Don’s drawings and paintings.

After photographing a building, Don produced a detailed illustration in pencil or black ink using a fine-pointed pen. Some of his landscapes and outdoor scenes were drawn from life (“en plein air”).

His impressive collection of drawings includes many historic landmark buildings from the Scranton area, some no longer standing, as well as picturesque rural landscapes. For his drawings of buildings, Don found unique perspectives from which he could highlight prominent structural features. He was a master of the technique of stippling. He added hundreds of dots to stone surfaces to create texture and age - to shade and shape - to capture the play of light on the building.

Don described himself as “largely a self-taught artist.” He refined his skills through years of diligent practice working with diverse media, including pen & ink, watercolor, oil and acrylics.

In early 1960, he painted an oil portrait of newly-elected president, John F. Kennedy, then mailed it to the White House with a letter requesting an autograph. It was returned on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, autographed by the president, with a letter typed on White House stationery. Later, he painted an oil portrait of astronaut, John Glenn, that was also autographed.

In 1956, following eight years of service in the Army, where he was trained as a draftsman, Don took advantage of the G.I. Bill and enrolled in the Murray School of Art in Scranton, where he learned basic elements of drawing and painting.

For 17 years he illustrated art training manuals for the International Correspondence Schools (ICS), and then worked for 20 years in the drafting department of Ingersoll Rand creating technical drawings for product manuals.

In addition to being a master pen & ink artist and painter, Don was a nature photographer, astronomer, entomologist, sculptor, woodworker, furniture maker, calligrapher and engrosser.

Don skillfully illustrated many landmark buildings in Scranton and nearby towns, including some that are vacant or torn down. By keeping these buildings alive through his art, Don performed a valuable service for the community by creating images that reflect the city’s history - past and present.

- Written by Thomas W. Costello, friend of the artist, April 2018

Click images to enlarge. Full size images are large - over a megabyte
	1) Fraternal Order of Eagles, Lodge No 314, 221 Wyoming Ave, Scranton, PA Pen & ink drawing of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Building, located at 221 Wyoming Ave, with an A&P Store on the ground floor. The Order of Eagles was organized in 1898. The Scranton Aerie 314, F.O.E. was instituted in 1903; it moved into the Wyoming Ave building five years later. The Eagles’ circular stone banner, “FOE” with eagles’ wings, can be seen at the top of the building. By 1920, the aerie had grown into one of the largest in Pennsylvania. From 1896 to 1905, the building's ground floor space was occupied by the Arbor Cafe, owned by James Fleming and P. W. Costello, nationally-prominent pen & ink artist and engrosser. The walls of the restaurant were lined with Mr. Costello's portraits of presidents, literary figures, baseball players and stage stars. Later, it became a Grand Union Store, followed by the A&P. The building was razed in the 1970s and the Order of Eagles moved to a building on Meridian Ave.

2a, b) Flatiron Building, W. Lackawanna Ave, Scranton, PA

Two watercolor paintings of the Flatiron Building, front and back. The building is no longer standing. It was located in the 100 block of Lackawanna Ave, near the bridge to West Scranton, and was abandoned at the time Don did this painting. The front door and windows were boarded up. Don first sketched out the drawing in pencil, then added an umber-toned watercolor wash to the front of the building, and a brick red wash to the rear. Broken windows, decaying wood, and a worn Gibbons Beer ad, show the building’s run-down condition. The Flatiron Building’s unusual architecture, narrow and oddly-shaped, resembled larger versions in New York City and Chicago.

3a, b) Central Railroad of NJ Freight Station, W. Lackawanna Ave., Scranton, PA

Two pen & ink and watercolor paintings of the Central Railroad of New Jersey Freight Station in Scranton, located on West Lackawanna Avenue near the Steamtown National Historic Site. The station was built in 1891. Joe Murray, Don’s father, worked at the station maintaining railroad cars. Don also worked there when he was a teenager.

The Central Railroad, based in Jersey City, NJ, halted operations in 1972. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

4) Woodrow Wilson Grade School and High School, Minooka , PA

Pen & ink drawing of the Woodrow Wilson School #47, often referred to as Minooka High School, built in 1905 at the corner of Colliery Ave. and McDonough St in Minooka. Originally, the school accommodated 400 students in primary grades through high school. That changed in 1952 when only primary grades 1-6 attended. The school was razed in the early 1960s. The nine trees along the front of the school were planted in honor of Minooka men who died in WWII.

Continue to Page 2

Images and information contributed by Thomas W. Costello, April 2018.

If you're interested in purchasing prints of Don Murray's drawings or paintings - those displayed here, or others - contact Coilin Murray at:

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These documents and images are made available free to the public for non-commercial purposes by the Lackawanna County, PAGenWeb Project.