Legacy Family: Murray and Jack Farish
June 02, 2025
Webster University is celebrating the men of Webster throughout the month of June 2025 by highlighting alumni stories. Meet Murray and Jack Farish, a father-son legacy family of our University.
Murray (father): "I’m Murray Farish, and I graduated in 1997 from what was then called the Literature and Language Department, today’s English Department.
"I chose Webster because I met an English professor named Reta Madsen at Webster’s Transfer Day in the summer of 1995. She sat with me for an hour talking about books and writers and the program at Webster and its teachers and students, and Reta encouraged me by saying she thought Webster and I would be a good fit. Since I graduated from here, and I’ve now been teaching here since 2003, I think she got that one right.
"I was thrilled Jack chose Webster, because I knew he would get some time to look around, wouldn’t be rushed into a major, and could get involved in lots of things. It’s worked out exactly like that, and Jack’s settled into his Philosophy major, and the faculty in his department and across the University have helped him pursue his interests and mold his studies to fit them.
"I’ve seen lots of changes at the University since 1995, when I first stepped foot on campus. Our facilities have improved, our student body is more diverse and the University is organized differently. But what hasn’t changed is the way this place gets in people’s hearts and bones — and that happens because each generation of students, faculty, staff and administrators accepts the responsibility of passing along to the next one the standards, the generosity, the striving, the togetherness that makes Webster special."
Jack (student): "My name is Jack Farish, and I am going into my fourth year at Webster University. I am majoring in Philosophy and have completed a minor in Sustainability Studies.
"Following a gap year after high school, I chose to attend college. It seemed like a great place to develop my skills and meet new people, while figuring out what kind of path I wanted to follow in life. One reason I chose Webster was because it was close to home and, since I didn’t know what I wanted to study at the time, it seemed good to be in a familiar place while I found my academic bearings.
"My dad’s field, English and Literature, has influenced me to be interested in the questions of the humanities. I can recall many conversations with my father about the themes and moral lessons of books and movies, and about what is right and wrong and how to live well. When I enrolled at Webster, I didn’t know what I wanted to study, but I knew I wouldn’t love a career in engineering, as many of my friends from high school were choosing to pursue. Although we were heavily pressured to pursue STEM or engineering throughout high school, I felt more at home in a liberal arts-oriented college like Webster and eventually settled on studying philosophy.
"I would encourage new students to be open to all the possibilities at Webster University. Your undergraduate career is the perfect opportunity to explore and find what makes you happy. There are lots of really great electives — some of my favorites have been foreign language, photography and botany. Each of these has given me new ways of expressing myself and seeing the world."