Release #11.26
August 18, 2011

Capt. Larry Murray Receives ALPA’s Presidential Citation
Ventura, Calif., Pilot Recognized for Enhancing Profession

WASHINGTON―The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), will recognize Capt. Larry Murray of Alaska Airlines with its 2010 Presidential Citation for his dedication to helping his fellow airline pilots and enhancing the airline piloting profession as a whole. The citation will be presented today during ALPA’s Air Safety Week, being held in Washington, D.C.

“Capt. Larry Murray’s hard work and drive as an ALPA volunteer have made a tremendous difference for individual airline pilots as they engage with their union and in the piloting profession,” said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president. “Over two decades, these personal interactions have added up to an industry-wide contribution. Capt. Murray’s work has inspired airline pilots to work in unity and to pursue the highest possible standards of professionalism.”

For nearly 20 years, Capt. Murray has served as an ALPA volunteer, representing the Alaska Airlines pilot group in various capacities, including as a member and chairman of the Alaska Master Executive Council’s (MEC) Professional Standards Committee and as an elected status representative for the Alaska Airlines pilot group’s Council 63, as both a first officer and captain representative.

During the Alaska pilots’ most recent round of contract negotiations, Capt. Murray served on the MEC’s Pilot-to-Pilot Committee, helping to ensure that the Alaska Airlines pilots were informed and educated about the negotiations, which was an important component of the exceptional unity the pilot group demonstrated.

A staunch advocate for enhancing aviation safety, Capt. Murray also assisted with the National Transportation Safety Board investigation of the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 accident on Jan. 31, 2000. A year later, the Thompson-Tansky Foundation was created to honor the legacy of Capt. Ted Thompson and F/O Bill Tansky, who were among the 88 passengers and crewmembers who lost their lives in the accident.
For the past 10 years, Capt. Murray has helped honor the heroic efforts and professionalism demonstrated by Capt. Thompson and F/O Tansky by serving as vice-chairman of the Thompson-Tansky Scholarship Committee, which awards scholarships to the children of Alaska Air Group employees.

“Capt. Murray’s decades of steadfast commitment to his colleagues and to the airline piloting profession serve as a model for pilots, now and in the future,” concluded Capt. Moak. “It is on behalf of ALPA’s more than 53,000 members that I recognize Capt. Murray’s efforts and congratulate him on receiving ALPA’s 2010 Presidential Citation.”

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 53,000 pilots at 39 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org.

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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703/481-4440, or media@alpa.org