(Editor’s note: This is the fifth of six stories honoring the NKyTribune’s ’26 NewsMakers of the year.)
By Laura Kroeger
NKyTribune staff writer
Kevin Murphy arrived in Northern Kentucky in 1978 with two suitcases, a carry-on, and a bag of old golf clubs. The born and bred New Yorker sold his car and saved enough money to pay for a year of Chase Law School.
His life has been filled with miracles whenever he faced adversity, which has been often. He is an inspiration to all who meet him.
“Kevin is a brilliant guy, very quick witted and never loses his cool,” says Bob Thorpe, a 35-year friend and steel executive who lives in Florida. “He keeps a real positive tone despite the hardships he’s been through. He has raised his daughters beginning when they were 9 and 12 after their mom died. Now Elizabeth is 30 and Kathleen, 36, and Kevin has two grandsons, ages six and two.”
A member of the Northern Kentucky Convention Center Board for almost three decades, and now chair, Murphy was part of the group that selected the architects, engineers and funders before the building was constructed. He claims he gleaned much of his business acumen from watching the likes of Wayne Carlisle, Ralph Drees and Dennis Griffin.
“We had a meeting with the architects who looked like they just stepped off the set of Miami Vice. Wayne walks in wearing overalls and muddy boots. He listens to their presentation. Then proceeds to ask poignant questions and make comments on items that were inaccurate, such as the dynamic economic impact the Center would make. By the next meeting the architects’ tones had changed. I heard a lot of ‘yes, Mr. Carlisle. You are right Mr. Carlisle.’ This group taught me how to zip it and know when to listen. It really was an absolute joy to serve with them and witness their expertise in action.
“Now I enjoy watching Gretchen Landrum run the Convention Center with great precision. She makes it a very welcoming environment. Gretchen is always on top of the renovations. I also admire Judy Clabes. She won’t take no for an answer in a graceful way. And she is usually right. I’ve learned a lot from her.”
Kevin’s love for community service began as a curious eight-year-old when he accompanied his mother as she launched Meals on Wheels in their New York City neighborhood. He was an altar boy and a reader at Mass. The positive part was that he lost his fear of speaking in front of people. The downfall was that he worked from 2 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. delivering the New York Times. His sleep deprivation led to dozing off before speaking and reading the wrong passage to the parish.
He supported himself through college delivering the Times. One day at college he was pulled over for running a stop sign. Kevin got a ticket and went to court to fight it. He appeared with a full presentation showing how the officer could not have seen him from his vantage point. The judge called Kevin into his chambers.
“You are better than 90% of the lawyers I see in this courtroom,” exclaimed the judge. “You really pinned that cop on cross examination. I think you should be a lawyer.”
It wasn’t the first time law had crossed Kevin’s mind. First, he had a keen interest in politics and it seemed that most holding office also had law degrees. Second, he adored TV law shows.
Could Kevin be the next Perry Mason?
As much as he enjoyed his foray into post-college teaching, the hours to make a living wage were grueling. He worked at an unbelievable pace as a teacher during the day and truck driver four nights a week. A year was devoted to teaching in a public school and the following two years at a Catholic school, all the time driving the truck at night.
A nun called him into her office. “Kevin, I’m very curious. Some days you have a blast running around with the kids. Other days you look so tired. Kevin then wrote down all of his expenses.
The Sister glared at him. She asked, “How do you live?”
He realized that the only way he was going to be able to have a family and live comfortably was to get a law degree.
While at Chase, the first low-cost airline opened. People Express Airlines could fly him from CVG to Newark for $39. He flew once a month to drive a truck for a long weekend. Someone was always miraculously nearby to offer a ride to New York City. On one occasion it didn’t happen.
He stuck his thumb out to hitchhike when a New Jersey State Trooper stopped him. “You look too old to be hitchhiking.”
Kevin told him his financial story and presented his three IDs: Kentucky driver’s license, Chase Law School identification, and his New York trucker’s union card. Moved by Kevin’s tenacity, the trooper gave him a ride through the Lincoln Tunnel and to the front door of the New York Times.
“Here is my card with my home phone number. Call when you come again. If I can’t pick you up, I have plenty of buddies who will,” said the State Trooper.
A miracle.
Kevin, the author of Surviving Cancer After Surviving Cancer, chronicles another miracle. The girls’ mother Kim had cancer and was pregnant with Kathleen. The only hope to save the baby was at Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto, California, despite the massive pelvic radiation for cancer during the pregnancy. They drove across country in Kevin’s old car. The car died. Kim and Kathleen were seriously ill. Their savings was gone. As he shed tears in the waiting room, a kind man put his arm on Kevin’s shoulder and listened to Kevin’s story. The man was billionaire Bill Sugg who soon after the encounter had an employee bring a new Cadillac to Kevin to use during the months they were to stay in Palo Alto. He also had a place for them to stay. The landlord refused to cash Kevin’s rent checks and the nearby Episcopal Church, inspired by the landlord’s account of Kim’s sacrifice for the baby, fed them four nights a week for five months.
Bob Thrope adds that Kevin was asked if he golfs. Soon he was sponsored to play at the iconic Cypress Point for a few years. Once his benefactor was terminally ill, he found a friend to sponsor Kevin for another five years.
Physicians at Stanford told Kevin that they knew of no woman in the world who had conceived a child after receiving the amount of pelvic radiation that Kim had endured. Kim passed away in 2020. Baby Kathleen thrived. Dr. Bernie Siegel, who wrote the forward to Kevin’s book, later stated, “There was no medical explanation for Kathleen Murphy; God must have amazing plans for her.”
Golf buddy Max Montoya (yes, the former Bengal) used Kevin’s legal services and then started playing golf regularly at Traditions in Hebron. He is inspired by Kevin’s miraculous accounts.
“He is very caring with a great attitude,” says Montoya. “Kevin does a lot of charitable work that people don’t know about, especially his pro bono work for children’s services. He has shown me that good things happen to good people.”
That’s what newly appointed Federal Judge William Bertelsmann discovered. Dissatisfied with his intern prospects, Kevin confidently walked into the Judge’s office, introduced himself, and offered free legal research and writing in exchange for an internship.
He stayed beyond his required credits, working for free for an additional six months to demonstrate his dedication. Judge Bertelsmann ultimately offered him a paid law clerkship, telling Kevin he had come up “on the wrong side of the tracks but had earned the position through hard work and courage.”
Kevin says, “What that man, that wonderfully brilliant man, taught me those two years was invaluable. His integrity, his honesty, his commitment to the job. It was amazing to see.”
The Commonwealth benefitted from Kevin’s experiences. He joined Wyatt Tarrant & Combs in Louisville, then returned to Cincinnati a few years later to join Keating, Muething & Klekamp. In 1988 he went into solo practice to control his schedule and be available to his family. In 2006 he joined what was then Graydon Head & Ritchey until 2015 when solo practice beckoned him.
Christine Duggins has worked as Kevin’s paralegal and office manager for 20 years, starting with him at Graydon in 2007. She often hears the attributes about Kevin from community organizations and leaders.
“We’ve never had a disagreement,” she reveals. “What sets him apart is his universal respect for others. He is very caring. That’s why I stuck around. I saw his genuine nature. He is fair to everyone. He’ll listen to my viewpoints so I feel valued. His strong work ethic is amazing. It was a pleasure to help him as he dictated his book and recently another that will be revealed soon. After Graydon I like to say that I followed his character.”
In addition to his long-time service to the NKY Convention Center Board, Kevin has served on the local Goodwill Board, legal boards at Chase, and as president of the Chase Inns of Court, a nationwide mentoring program between local attorneys and law students that mirrors a program across the pond.
He continues to share the marvels he has experienced, first with Kathleen as a miracle baby. She became a nurse, married and then was told she could not bear children. Her obstetrician was stunned when Kathleen conceived William, 6, and Miles, 2. Kevin is known as Pop.
For his own story, his faith plays a large part. Kevin has Multiple Myeloma. He has undergone 11 rounds of radiation, seven surgeries, and a bone marrow stem cell transplant. At one point he read the Bible verse, “Jesus said bring your troubles to me. My burden is easy and my yoke is light.”
He woke the next morning with an overwhelming sense of peace and certainty he would be healed. Approximately 9-10 weeks later his oncologist found no cancer in his blood work. An emergency PET scan confirmed the cancer was gone.
“My work philosophy is my faith. A lot of lessons come from suffering and the people you affect through that faith. I just made up my mind that I was going to be a man that kept my sense of humor, tried not to burden my kids with complaints, stay positive and pray a lot.
“This Newsmaker Award means much to me. It’s humbling and nice to know that my service to the community has been recognized and that people are moved by the miracles that have occurred in my life.”
(Celebrate Kevin Murphy and other NewsMakers at free breakfast-by-the bite (with coffee) reception and awards presentation on October 7, 8-10 a.m., at Wenzel Distillery Event Center, 412 Madison Ave., Covington. All welcome.)
