By Karen Cord Taylor

South End resident Murray Frank recently became one of four downtown residents who joined Beacon Hill Village's board of directors, expanding the number of board members to 17.

Murray grew up in the Bronx, served in the army and attended New York University on the GI Bill. He then earned a social work degree from Columbia University and did stints as a community organizer in Brockton, MA and Chicago. Murray worked for the Peace Corps for four years-three of those in Nigeria. He then earned a Ph.D. in social policy from the Heller School at Brandeis University, taught at Rutgers University, and worked for the public employees' union in New York. Murray completed his work life at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where he was Director of the Center for Social Policy. He is the chair of the Village's Member Services Committee.

"I have participated in many Beacon Hill Village programs and know of the security and opportunities it provides to us in the South End," said Murray. "I am honored to join the board where I am able to help expand services to all of us in this and the other downtown neighborhoods."

Other new board members are West End resident Joanne Cooper, and Beacon Hill residents Doug Fitzsimmons and Karen Garvin

These four new members will join other board members John Besser, Sally Brewster, Hal Carroll, Kitty Flather, Matt Liang, Susan McWhinney-Morse, Frank Mead, Marion Nierintz, Atheline Nixon, Betsy Peterson, Donna Petro, Stephen Roop, and Dan Taylor.   

Murray is one of several South End members of Beacon Hill Village, an organization helping seniors from all over downtown Boston thrive in their communities as they grow older. Other South End members include Betsy Boveroux, Beverly and Murray Cohen, Lois Fontano, Jim Furlong, Martin Pino, and Norma and Arnold Zack.