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Murphy receives Navy award

ROBERT MURPHY, a Portsmouth resident, was awarded the Department of the Navy’s Superior Civilian Service Award. The second-highest honorary civilian award bestowed by the U.S. Navy, it was presented to Murphy on Aug. 18 by Commanding Officer Capt. Chad Hennings and Technical Director Ron Vien for his outstanding leadership, technical expertise and dedication during his 36-year career at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport. Murphy, who began as a mathematician at the center, retired in January as test and evaluation lead in the Undersea Warfare Weapons, Vehicles, and Defensive Systems Department. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in applied mathematics from the University of Rhode Island.

What was your reaction to being awarded the Department of the Navy’s Superior Civilian Service Award?

I was truly humbled that I was even considered for this prestigious award. I have had a handful of outstanding managers who allowed me to do work that I loved my entire career. When you love your work, you typically perform at higher levels.

I was also blessed with having a great team of personnel working with me, and certainly could not have achieved what I have achieved without having great team-players help me. I am most proud of this award. I look at it as recognition of an entire career of work and accomplishments.

What inspired you to work in your field?

My field of work was certainly not what I dreamed of as a kid. I simply wanted to work in a technical area close to where I grew up in Newport, and NUWC provided excellent opportunities for personnel with my college background of applied mathematics. I was extremely fortunate to land a job that allowed me to travel the world in order to test torpedoes.

How did you end up working at NUWC?

A family friend got me in the door for an interview. The interview went well, and I loved hearing about the work that I would be involved with. It was clear from the start that I would initially be part of a field team that would be assigned to work in Keyport, Wash., for a minimum of one year. It turned into a two-year assignment that provided me an outstanding work foundation.

How has the coronavirus impacted your life personally and professionally?

The coronavirus had a significant impact on my personal life initially. My wife, Lisa, is a nurse practitioner in the emergency department at Rhode Island Hospital, so, she has been on the front line throughout. As a result, my two daughters were concerned about us visiting our four grandchildren, ages 2 to 4 years old, for the first several months of the pandemic. That was difficult, but we understood. Our daughters have since relaxed and we are seeing our grandchildren routinely now. On the professional front, the coronavirus primarily forced me to telework [80% to 90%] of my work week. I had seldom teleworked in the past. I only came to work when I needed to work on classified tasking. n

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