Located in the heart of downtown Boca
Grande, it quickly became apparent that
restoring the much-loved Sam Murphy Park
would be the perfect place to start.
In late August, well-known landscape
architect Mary Ellen Flanagan was hired to
create a plan that would maintain as much
of the original plant material as possible
while using unique new grasses, shrubs
and trees to renew and refresh the park.
Working with Luis Mendoza of Gasparilla
Landscape Service, Mary Ellen completed
the restoration in late October, and this
special little park was reopened to the
community on November 1.
So, who was Sam Murphy? Murphy
attended Wesleyan University in
Connecticut, and graduated from Harvard
Law School in 1951. He served as a
Lieutenant in U.S. Marine Corps during the
46 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • January/February • 2021
Korean War. As a corporate litigator, he
worked for Donovan, Leisure, Newton and
Irvine, where he became managing partner.
He left to become the general counsel of
Gulf Oil, then RCA. After his retirement, Sam
continued with pro bono representation of
death row inmates.
In preparation for his retirement, Sam
and his wife, Barbara Boyer Murphy,
purchased their island home in 1986. When
Sam learned that it was the efforts of the
GICIA that had helped maintain the smalltown
charm of Boca Grande, he became
interested in the organization and began
volunteering his time.