Tori Murden McClure arrived to speak to the scholars of the Murray State campus on June 24th to speak about her success as an adventurer. The first convocation in Johnson Theatre was encompassed by the idea of “first building a life, then making a living.”
Murden McClure addressed the scholars by introducing herself, along with her core values that led her to success.
Murden McClure is the former president of Spalding University (as of June 2024) and holds multiple honors, including working as a chaplain at a Boston hospital, as the director of a Louisville women’s shelter, and as a policy assistant in the Louisville Mayor’s Office. She is a former Board Chair of the National Outdoor Leadership School, and she is a former Vice Chair and Interim Chair of the NCAA Board of Governors – the top governing body in collegiate athletics. Murden McClure holds a bachelor’s degree from Smith College, a Master of Divinity from Harvard University, a law degree from the University of Louisville, and a Master of Fine Arts in writing degree from Spalding.
Murden McClure is most known for her 1999 unassisted rowing across the Atlantic Ocean, making her the first woman to do so. She began her journey in the Canary Islands and finished in Guadeloupe. She rowed for a total of 81 days in her twenty-three feet long, four feet high, and six feet wide boat named the American Pearl.
She described her journey and struggles of admitting defeat during her first attempt. During her speech, Murden McClure states she had to realize that “your deeds do not bring honor to you, but you bring honor to your deeds.” She came to this realization through her interactions with boxing star Muhammad Ali. Murden McClure had the opportunity to work for Ali and was the first employee of the newly formed Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville. From her time spent working for Ali, she was able to express how she learned to persevere through that shame she felt for not completing what she originally set out to do.
In addition to her success as a rower, she was also the first woman and American to ski to the South Pole, as well as the first woman to climb the Lewis Nunatak in the Antarctic.
She is an author of her memoir titled “A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean”, which narrates the story of her experience failing her rowing record the first time around, her time on land between the two attempts, the intense emotions that led to becoming the first person to row across the Atlantic. Because of its success, the book was later adapted into a musical called “Row”. Sadly, this work was unable to make the stage due to COVID-19, but that unfortunate event led to it being the first musical to world premier in audible format.
She brought the convocation to a close by emphasizing the fact that your dreams should be at the forefront of your life goals and that working towards living life to the fullest is extremely important. In addition, she also highlighted how relationships, whether it be romantic or platonic, are essential to living a life full of love and adventure. She spoke about how even during the darkest time in her life, she met an unlikely companion in her now husband. She expressed her gratitude for finding a person to confide in during that time of her life, and she stressed how crucial it is to find someone you can rely on.
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