Thursday, June 2, 2005 (Washington, DC) – Today the Parkinson’s Action Network mourns the loss of Murray Charters of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 

Murray volunteered much of his time to the Parkinson’s community as an avid researcher on a wide array of subjects related to Parkinson’s disease.  He was perhaps best known for his daily world-wide e-mail distribution of Parkinson's related media articles.

“The loss of Murray Charters leaves the Parkinson’s community with one less leader, one less advocate to join with us in our fight for a cure, and in Murray’s case, one less friend,‿ said PAN Executive Director Amy L. Comstock. “We will all miss Murray.‿ 

Murray was a co-creator of “Parkinson’s Resources on the WWWeb,‿ a website dedicated to world Parkinson’s awareness.  

In recognition of his remarkable efforts, Murray received the 2004 Alan Bonander Humanitarian Award, and in 2004 he was the first recipient of the Parkinson’s Action Network Annual Award for Outstanding Service to the Parkinson’s Community, at the PAN Louis Fishman Advocacy Awards Dinner in Washington, DC.  That award now bears Murray’s name. 

Tributes to Murray were being posted on the Massachusetts General Hospital’s “Braintalk‿ online message board: 

“I am especially proud to have been awarded the first annual ‘Murray Charter’s Award’ given at the annual PAN Forum in DC.  Murray surely touched a lot of lives and is already missed, but his contributions will be his legacy,‿ posted PAN South Carolina State Co-Coordinator Len Casavant on “Braintalk.‿

Murray grew up in rural Saskatchewan and attended the University of Alberta, Edmonton in 1962.  The son of a blacksmith farmer, Murray was a skilled tradesman, technician, supervisor, and technical instructor, with an extensive technical background, largely self taught.  He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1994 at age 49. 

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