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{shortcode-00c9f9b0cc5451387a19b7b6cac14de985f5b07a}ach H. Marto was running late to a class in eighth grade at Wayland Middle School when he saw his longtime friend, Ryan H. Murdock ’25, coincidentally arriving at the same time to the classroom door.

“We walked in together, and the teacher said, ‘Why are you late? I’m gonna assume you’re late because you walked here with Ryan. Is that true?’ And, of course, it wasn’t true,” Marto recalled.

The teacher, who was reluctant to believe Marto, turned to Murdock for confirmation.

“Ryan just kind of looked at me and slowly nodded his head, and that got me out of that,” Marto said.

“So he just saved me again that time,” Marto added. “Probably, for like the millionth time.”

Murdock, a senior in Dunster House pursuing a double concentration in Earth and Planetary Science and Government remembered for his sense of humor and passion for environmental justice, died on Oct. 18 after a brief illness. He was 21.

A Constant Presence

Murdock was born on July 27, 2003, in Boston to Hernan A. Murdock and Laura V. Murdock, but lived most of his life in Wayland, Mass.

While at Wayland High School, Murdock was an active member of Model United Nations and student government, and served as team manager for the school’s baseball and soccer teams.

Nicholas Urato, who played for Wayland’s soccer team, remembered how the team brought Murdock onto the field for a team photo during senior night celebration, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.

“I specifically remember everyone just going crazy — the whole community. And that was really special,” Urato said.

Urato said that Murdock had a genuine love for both baseball and soccer. In addition to supporting his high school teams, he enjoyed watching Cape Cod Baseball League games during the summers.

In particular, Urato remembered how Murdock was a constant presence on the sidelines of the team’s playoff soccer games, even during a particularly cold day in junior year of high school.

“He could probably be anywhere else, but he wanted to be there,” Urato said.

His mother, Laura Murdock, similarly recalled his love for sports and his high school teams.

“When he was doing the scorekeeping in baseball, I remember he did it on the phone, and if there was a mistake on the field, all the players would come to him because they knew he was going to be right,” she said.

While Murdock remained a lifelong devoted sports fan, he became increasingly passionate about environmental justice and policy after enrolling at Harvard.

“I think he really wanted to do something that would make a difference in the world and help change policy,” Laura Murdock said. “He wanted to help, just in whatever way he could.”

Hernan Murdock, his father, also recalled how his son was always thinking about “how we can do something to help within our circle of influence.”

“As far as justice and fairness and empathy as well, when it comes to different political dynamics, whether domestic or international, he was always very curious about those — and how those were open questions and how there were so many opportunities for improvement,” Hernan Murdock added.

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‘A Common Node’

Murdock’s academic and extracurricular involvements at Harvard straddled his various passions, which spanned environmental justice, healthcare and accessibility advocacy, and government policy.

Evan W. Hsiang ’26, who worked with Murdock on a variety of writing projects for the Harvard Undergraduate Health Policy Review, said Murdock approached the work with “a very unique interest in environmental justice.”

But what Hsiang remembered most about Murdock was his contribution to the “sense of community within the organization.”

“I think that’s something that’s rare in any student organization, but it’s especially rare for a single person to contribute so much,” Hsiang said.

Hsiang described Murdock as “a common node between people in the organization.”

“I think he really humanized the work we did,” Hsiang added.

Livingston J. W. Zug ’26 described Murdock as “a voice for consensus and bipartisanship” in their time together as members of Harvard Undergraduates for Bipartisan Solutions.

He said Murdock helped the group “find common ground” on contentious political issues and had a knack for getting people to agree and feel heard.

“He was a really, really valued member of the group, and I really have no idea how we’re going to function without him,” Zug added.

James R. Jolin ’24, who knew Murdock through the Health Policy Review, wrote in a statement that Murdock was “an outstanding colleague and better friend.”

“His smile lit up every room he entered, and his enthusiasm for his work was palpable,” wrote Jolin, a former Crimson News editor. “But what I think I will remember most about Ryan is his dependability: he was a steadfast presence at every meeting, never lapsed on an editing assignment or article deadline, and was always willing to lend a hand to others in need.”

In a letter from the editor on Oct. 23, HUHPR announced that it will dedicate its upcoming issue to Murdock to celebrate his contributions and legacy at the Review.

Murdock also wrote articles for the Harvard International Review about environmental issues, health policy, and human rights law — interests that his father said “go back to his character.”

“I think empathy drove a lot of his interest over time,” Hernan Murdock said.

Eunice S. Chon ’25-’26, who worked closely with Murdock as co-advocacy chairs of the Harvard Undergraduate Disability Justice Club, said he was a dedicated disability justice advocate on campus — often staying behind after board meetings, even late into the night, to meet with her and the co-presidents of the club.

“I can’t emphasize enough how much he cared about disability justice and accessibility on campus,” Chon said. “There’s nothing Ryan ever did that was for himself.”

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‘One of Those People Who You Come to Harvard to Meet’

Murdock’s family and friends also recalled his innate curiosity and care for people, which manifested in his academic pursuits.

Laura Murdock said that Murdock, as a young child, would have “a million questions” about the world.

“He was curious about all different kinds of things,” she said, adding that Murdock “just wanted to know about everybody, everywhere in the whole world.”

Murdock had a special interest in accessibility and healthcare systems across different countries, stemming from his enthusiasm for traveling since he was young. Murdock’s mother recalled that even as an eight-year-old, he would plan trips himself to travel abroad.

Murdock frequently traveled to see family on his father’s side in Costa Rica, and also visited the Netherlands, England, and Canada.

Murdock’s curiosity also manifested in the classroom, where he bridged his interests in science, the environment, health policy, and advocacy through his academic coursework. According to his parents, Murdock continued to attend classes until the day before he died.

Reza M. Shamji ’25 remembered meeting Murdock in a Physics class as he was deciding whether or not to concentrate in the field, but their friendship evolved past problem sets when they exchanged numbers and decided to get breakfast one day.

Shamji said Murdock’s calming presence was the most memorable thing about him.

“I don’t think this school is very calm, and he was able to make it calm,” Shamji said.

Many of Murdock’s friends fondly recalled his unique, witty sense of humor.

Marto, Murdock’s childhood friend, said Murdock was especially “great at picking up on things other people wouldn’t.”

“Ryan had this unique ability to observe the world a little differently than a lot of other people and see the humor in that,” he said.

“A lot of times Ryan would start with saying, ‘I’ve noticed something about this, or I’ve noticed something about that,’ and usually that would end with me rolling on the floor laughing because he was just looking at something differently in a funny way,” Marto added.

Shamji said “whenever there’s something funny to be brought up, or he could make a joke,” Ryan would “crack it.”

He added that whenever he saw Murdock, he’d always give him a fist bump and Murdock would always know that it was coming.

“He’d give a little laugh, and then a little bit more, and you knew the second half was coming, and you always waited for it,” Shamji said. “I think that’s something I also loved about him and his smile — you always knew there’s a second half of it coming.”

Fez S. Zafar ’24, a former resident of Dunster House, said Murdock was “one of those people who you come to Harvard to meet.”

Zafar said he would go to the dining hall just to catch up with Murdock.

“I knew that once I sat down, I was going to have one of those conversations that you will always remember,” he said.

Zafar recalled that Murdock “always had great jokes” and “great stories” to share — but added that he was, “beyond that, a phenomenal listener.”

“The image that I remember him by is he was always surrounded by groups of people because everyone just enjoyed sitting with him,” Zafar added. “He would absorb what others would say, and would just have the perfect thing to say in response.”

Marto, who first met Murdock when they were in kindergarten, said he had “the strongest character of anyone I’ve ever met.”

“When I look back at my life, I feel like I’ve been lucky to have a lot of good friends,” he said. “But I think out of all of them, Ryan might have been the easiest to really open up to when I talked to him.”

“He was just such a caring, caring guy,” Marto added. “I’m gonna really miss talking to him. I learned a lot from him, and I feel like he was just always there for me when I needed it.”

—Staff writer Michelle N. Amponsah can be reached at michelle.amponsah@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @mnamponsah.

—Staff writer Joyce E. Kim can be reached at joyce.kim@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @joycekim324.