Episode 71: Tom Murphy

Host Marvin Stockwell talks to former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy about his long life of championing causes - from his early days in the Peace Corps and as an activist, to his long career in politics, which most notably includes his time as mayor.

Many credit Tom with turning the former industrial city's economic fortunes around. After he left office, Tom spent years as a consultant with the Urban Land Institute. It was in this role that Tom led a ULI panel in Memphis to advise on the highest and best use of Memphis' Fairgrounds and Mid-South Coliseum. When the panel recommended reactivating the Coliseum, it was a major victory for Marvin and other Coliseum activists. In this conversation, Marvin and Tom reexamine the issues that have kept the Coliseum closed and speculate on what might eventually reactivate the historic building.

This episode of Champions of the Lost Causes (the podcast) is available via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and the Back to the Light YouTube channel.

Marvin Stockwell and Tom Murphy