The University of Virginia has a long-standing tradition of academic excellence due to the fine professors that teach here. Despite the outbreak of the Second World War, the University still managed to keep its distinguished faculty intact. Such great men as James Southall Wilson, John Calhoun Metcalf, Dumas Malone, and even William Faulkner taught here during the 1940s. They taught us about English and history and other traditional subjects, yet there was another great man who taught us a different kind of lesson. This was a homeless man who occupied a storefront ledge on the Corner. Tim Murphy was known around Grounds as the Professor of Bumology.
Who was this homeless man on the Corner? Tim Murphy was a bearded man who was always dressed in a tweed coat and gray flannels. He came to the University in 1926. When he died, it was revealed that his real name was Frederick Morris. He had served in the navy of several different countries, and he even fought in the Spanish-American War. Before he entered into the "bumology" profession, he had held various jobs; his previous occupations included everything from a sailor to a landscape gardener. Tim claimed that he made more money from being a bum than any other profession that he had ever had. During the winter session he said that he never took in less than seven dollars per week, and in the summer he never made less than three dollars per week.
What did Tim Murphy do as UVa's professor of bumology? Tim collected coins from the students with his familiar cry, "Shoot me out Larson," which meant to give him some loose change. He was more pleased when students decided to "shoot him out" with a beer instead of just some spare nickels and dimes. It was rumored that Tim kept the Corner free of other troublemakers because he feared that they would be competition for his handouts. In 1941 Tim attracted a huge crowd while he cursed out another bum who wanted to intrude upon his territory. The crowd watched with delight as he chased him off the Corner.
Besides living off the charity of the generous Cavaliers, Tim also liked to appear in the public events at the University. He especially liked to attend pep rallies. His last appearance was the parade he led before the big football game against North Carolina in the fall of 1942. Tim was frequently in the public eye. In the years following his arrival at UVa in 1926, there were only a few issues of the Corks and Curls that did not have pictures of him. He also appeared in the school newspaper College Topics at least three times per year because he was either endorsing a charity drive, leading a spirit parade, or sitting in jail for his latest run-in with the law. He also gained fame from visiting all the bars at every fraternity party during a major dance weekend. Fraternity houses were also a part of Tim's well-being. In 1941, the court banned Tim from the Corner for six months, so he moved in front of the Zeta Psi House on Rugby Road. The Zetes and other Rugby Road inhabitants took care of him until he could return to the Corner.
Although Tim had his share of enemies as well as friends, he will never be forgotten. On July 31, 1943, he passed away at the University Hospital at the age of 73 years old. Tim had been suffering from pneumonia after enduring a week of cold, rainy weather in late July. The Corner is not the same without Tim's familiar cry "Shoot me out Larson" or his drunken escapades. The President of the College of Arts and Sciences, Bob Mckinley, set up a fund for his tombstone and flowers. There was a huge floral spray covering his casket from the "UVa Student Body." Tim taught us about a life of simple pleasures and pride for our school. The professor of bumology should always be remembered as one of the cherished traditions of UVa.
By: Renelle Motos