HIGH POINT, N.C., April 30, 2019 – Alumnus Jerry Murdock and his wife, Joan, of Fountain Inn, South Carolina, have committed $1,250,000 to High Point University for the Jerry W. and Joan S. Murdock Endowed Scholarship, which will support students who have financial need.
Jerry Murdock grew up in an orphanage and now is the CEO of IPS Packaging in Greenville, South Carolina. He graduated from High Point College in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science in business administration. He attended HPU on a full scholarship and decided then that he would someday give $1 million to the university. During college, Jerry was a member of the track team and TKE fraternity. His willingness to serve was evident, as he worked in the dining hall and library on campus and served as part of the maintenance crew.
The Murdocks have also given to the Student Athlete Excellence Fund, the HPU Fund for Extraordinary Education, and the Class of 1962 Endowed Scholarship. In 2018, Jerry received the Alumni Service Award from HPU for his continued involvement in various service initiatives that support the university and his local community.
“Jerry and Joan Murdock give generously and are loyal supporters of High Point University, as well as current and future HPU students,” says HPU President Nido Qubein. “We are blessed to have them as part of the High Point University family. Jerry’s life reflects the fact that your present circumstances don’t determine where you go; they merely determine where you start.”
Born in Statesville as one of 12 children, Jerry Murdock lived at the Methodist Children’s Home in Winston-Salem after his mother passed away and his father could no longer care for his young family. In addition to attending HPU, he served in the U.S. Navy, first at New Port, Rhode Island, and later on the Shangri-La aircraft carrier in May Port, Florida. He joined Johnson and Johnson in manufacturing management and then went to International Paper as an industrial paper salesman. Later, he moved to Henley Paper in High Point as a distributor salesman. In 1976, he started IPS Packaging in the basement of his Greenville, South Carolina, home. IPS is now one of South Carolina’s fastest growing private companies. He and Joan have one daughter, Kendra, three sons, Kevin, Derrick and Brad, and nine grandchildren.
“I came to High Point College with a full scholarship and didn’t have to pay for anything. I was very appreciative of that and knew one day I wanted to repay that scholarship for people like me,” says Murdock. “Fortunately, I was able to start my own company, and I’m grateful for my 42 years in business. The professors at High Point were wonderful to me. What they taught me has been very valuable to my life.”