Hubert ‘George’ and Shirley Murdock
Roll - Yuma County
Inducted in 2016
The Murdocks' farming journey, which initially brought George and Shirley together, is a significant part of Yuma's history. Shirley, in her two books, 'The Mules Go In Front' and 'In the Longest Flight,' beautifully captures the family's farming experience and the 1949 endurance flight in Yuma.
George and Shirley Woodhouse Murdoch were not just bystanders but active participants in the momentous events that shaped Yuma's history. Shirley's book, The Longest Flight, co-authored with Jim Gillaspie, is a testament to their significant contributions.
Despite the event's widespread publicity, the Murdocks were deeply rooted in their community, actively managing a 1,500-acre farm at Roll. Shirley's service as a 4-H leader, school board member, church elder and organist, PEO sister, and volunteer interpreter for the Yuma Regional Medical Center reflects their strong community ties. Her second book, 'Mules Go In Front, 'is a testament to the family's resilience and success along Arizona's lower Gila River.
Shirley's grandparents lived in Garden Grove, California. When her grandfather heard of a little irrigation project along the Yuma River East of Yuma, he asked his son-in-law, Shirley's father, to go with him to check it out. They drove the 300 miles in a Model T. They both came home with 160 acres, which they purchased for $25 an acre.
Although born in California in 1931, Shirley grew up on a family farm in Roll, Arizona. George was born in 1926 on an 80-acre family farm in northeastern Alabama. He grew up picking cotton and corn by hand and working the soil behind a team of mules.
During World War II, he joined the army and spent two years stationed at Ladfield Army Air Force Base in Alaska, where he served as a base fire chief. When he was released, he and his friend drove down the Pacific coast, working in the apple orchards in Washington.
As a young man, George bought a grain truck and worked the green harvest from his home state of Alabama into Canada. He worked with a man who had more than one truck. It was a hard life. The roads were terrible, and they had to sleep with their cots under the car in the fields. George eventually landed a job at Griffin Buick in Yuma. As luck would have it, the parts manager, Bob Woodhouse, had a younger sister who caught George's eye. Shirley and George were married in 1951.
Airplanes have proven to be essential to many farming and ranching operations. Shirley's parents were part of the flying community and actively organized the National Flying Farmers and, in her mother's case, the 99ers in Arizona. Sadly, Shirley's parents were killed in 1954, along with her aunt and uncle, when their Cessna crashed. Shirley and her brother each inherited 320 acres in Roll. They also had 40 acres leased from the state and eventually bought. George and Shirley started farming and living in the house where Shirley grew up. Her brothers had the same land up the road where they farmed. Over the years, George added to his acreage by purchasing joint farms that came up for sale.
Planes are still crucial to the operation. Shirley's son Kenny was the family's pilot for several years. His son Madison has taken over the position and now does the flying. George and Shirley's brother, Bob, played essential roles in the longest flight. The story was made into a PBS special which told the story of the 1949 endurance flight.
Shirley remembers the military base closed in Yuma after the war. The Proving Ground was about to close, so the Yuma population was dwindling. The junior Chamber of Commerce decided they needed to do something to show the world that Yuma had good flying weather every day of the year and try to get the basis reactivated. The inspiration for the flight came when they heard about the endurance flight in Southern California. The radio station manager thought it would be an excellent way to attract attention to Yuma.
The pilot stayed in the air for 47 days without touching down, setting a world endurance record. The plane "City of Yuma" was piloted by Shirley's brother, Bob Woodhouse, and Woody Jongeward. George maintained a Buick that made the refueling runs and supplied the pilots with necessities. The flight was used to convince the military to establish a marine Air Station at Yuma, which helped put Yuma on the mat. The plane is on display at Yuma City Hall. Shirley loves to quilt and has made quilts for most of her family. Her creations aren't limited to the family. Over the years, she has made and donated quilts to the Wounded Warrior Project and some PEO fundraisers.
For about 30 years, Murdock's kitchen became George's early-morning café. "It used to be quite early," Shirley remembers. George was irrigating, so up and awake. Sometimes, he would sit in the family room at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning. Somebody would stop in and have coffee. It's not quite that early now. It's more like 6:30, but there are usually three or four men. They're all young enough to have been our sons. Two come almost every morning of the year to have coffee and cookies and discuss all kinds of things.
George collected classic cars, which Shirley and her son still own. About 16 of them are there across the road, and his favorite hobby was restoring them.
The couple's dedication to family extended beyond their community involvement and farming legacy. They raised four children, two boys and two girls, and have 14 grandchildren. Kenny and Jimmy, who have been active Murdock Farms partners for over 30 years, are a testament to the Murdocks' strong family values.
Affiliations
George
Endurance Flight of 1949
Cotton Gin — Board
Serape Cotton Seed — Board
Welton Mohawk Kiwanis Club — Member
Shirley
4H — Leader
School board — Member
Church — Elder and Organist
P.E.O. — Sister
Yuma Regional Medical Center — Volunteer Interpreter
Awards
Yuma Farm Bureau Hall of Fame
Arizona Farm Bureau Hall of Fame
France Woodard Award, Yuma Educational Foundation (Shirley)
