CHS NJROTC Commander named Rotary Star
When Murry Estabrook retired from his active- duty assignment as an officer in the Navy of the United States he took his commitment to service with him.
His record of “service above self”, the motto of Rotary International, made him the obvious choice to be recognized by the Claremore Reveille Rotary Club as the first recipient of the club’s “YOU are a Rotary Star Award.”
Born as the oldest of six children in Muscatine, Iowa, Murry was the first to graduate from high school on either side of his family. He enlisted in the Navy in 1970 after lettering in wrestling and band and being inducted into the National Honor Society at Muscatine High School.
In 1976 he was selected to be enrolled in the Naval Enlisted Scientific Education Program at the University of Oklahoma. He graduated there with a Bachelor of Science In Aerospace Engineering as was commissioned as an Ensign on May 10, 1980.
Throughout tours of duty in Guam, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Sacramento and San Diego he served primarily as a specialist in electronic warfare bullets with one tour of duty as a flight instructor. His last assignment before retiring was as a Reserve Officer Training Corp instructor at the University of Missouri.
Along the way he married Debbie, his high school sweetheart, and they became the parents of three biological sons, two adopted daughters and grandparents to six grandchildren. In addition, Debbie and Murry have served as foster parents to 63 infants and toddlers.
In 1993, Murry opened a high school level Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Program at Mountain Home, Arkansas that was ultimately recognized as the most improved unit in the country. From there, Commander Estabrook assumed command of a moribund unit at Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City that was near closing because of insufficient enrollment. He increased the enrollment in the program there to over 200 before coming to Claremore to assume command of the Claremore High School Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Program where during a period of 18 years over 5000 students have participated in the program and over 1500 have completed the entire four- year program.
With a program of duty, honor and country firmly rooted in a foundation of service to others operated within a military structure of goals and expectations, Commander Estabrook and his program have been invaluable to our community, our students and Claremore High School. They have been the go- to group in setting up and taking down seating, structures, and efforts to prepare a suitable venue for an innumerable number of community celebrations and events.
For a number of years, they have made sure that each dictionary presented by the Claremore Rotary Clubs to each third grader in the county came replete with the students' name inscribed. They have sponsored Community Blood Drives, served as traffic controllers and brought to Claremore parades an exhibit of discipline and order that gladdened the heart of all who have had the opportunity to see them marching down Will Rogers Boulevard.
As grateful citizens of Rogers County, the members of the Claremore Reveille Rotary Club salute you, your students and your efforts through consistent service to make our county community a better place to live.
We are proud to award you our inaugural recognition: YOU are a Rotary Star.
Source: Claremore Progress
Printed: February 27, 2021