Born in 1911, David Murray Dryden was the eldest of eight children
raised on a Manitoba farm. He has been asports lover all his life,
starting with skating over ice-covered pastures of his family’s farm
while dreaming of athletic glories. In those days, his skates were old
rusty blades clamped to shoes or boots.
Murray and his wife Margaret moved to Etobicoke in 1948. With their
three children, Dave, Ken and Judy, the family was active in both
community and church life. Murray believed strongly in the importance of
sports in the development of a child.
His company sponsored one of Dave’s hockey teams, and he and Dave
coached and managed several of Ken’s teams in the Humber Valley League
and Kingsway Baseball League.
Both Ken and Dave went on to successful goaltending careers in the
National Hockey League. Murray wrote a weekly baseball update for the
etobicoke Guardian and later wrote three books including one about
hockey entitled “Playing the Shots at Both Ends”.
In 1970, Murray and Margaret founded a unique, non-governmental
organization for children – Sleeping Children Around the world (SCAW).
The $12.8 million raised by the organization has helped 522,600
children, their families, and the economies of 31 developing countries.
Murray and Margaret were inducted into the Etobicoke Hall of Fame in
1987. Murray has received many other honours including being made a
Member of the Order of Canada.
Fifty-two years after arriving, Murray still lives in Etobicoke with his
wife, Theda. Murray Dryden is a great believer in the importance of
sports in Etobicoke.