On Aug. 26, 2023, Myra Hurt died peacefully surrounded by her family.
She was born on Oct. 6, 1947, in Hot Springs, Ark., to Paul and Myra McEarl. Coming from a long line of Scots-Irish farmers and growing up with her sister Judy in rural Arkansas, surrounded by her many male cousins, Myra developed a keen sense of independence, adventure and curiosity. In this time before television, she participated in all the fishing and hunting activities of her extended family, exploring nature and becoming a courageous, nonconformist free spirit.
Myra graduated from Hot Springs High School; later earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Henderson State University, a Master’s degree in Biology and a PHD in Microbiology from the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences with post-doctoral training at the Baylor College of Medicine.
In 1985, Myra moved to Tallahassee, Fla., to accept a professor position at Florida State University; and later became the University’s senior associate dean of the Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences program. Her awards and honors are too numerous to mention. Among the most notable included the prestigious Westcott Medal, Jim King Leadership Award, and the American Medical Women’s Association’s Woman in Science Award. After attending the famed Harvard Macy Institute Leaders in Medical Education Program at Harvard Medical School, in 1999, Myra was honored with a continued Invitation to be a Visiting Professor at the Harvard Macy Institute from 2003 to 2018.
Myra is preceded in death by her parents, Paul and Myra, and twin sisters who died at birth, Paula Sue McEarl and Mary Lou McEarl.
Myra is survived by her husband, Dr. Julian Hurt; her children, Paul Aldridge (Paula), Lilly Hurt Lewis (Jason), Samantha Hurt Buckley (Quinton); her beloved Chihuahua, Ginger; her sister, Judy Erman, of Springdale, Ark.; her grandchildren, Derek Palmer, Hunter Aldridge, Madison Aldridge, Lincoln Lewis, Marshall Lewis and Isaac Lewis; great-grandchildren, Brayden Palmer and Carson Palmer; mother-in-law, Jimmie Sue Hurt; sisters-in-law, Lamara (Dwaine) Rhea, Jimmie Rankin; brother-in-law, Lyndon (Lisa) Hurt: and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.
Myra’s family is grateful for those who took such great care of her, Stephanie Lockhart, Joyce Van der Molen, Morgan Leslie and Isabel Konou.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to FSU Foundation, indicating Fund Number F07564, which is for the Julian and Myra Hurt Endowment in Support of the Bridge to Clinical Medicine Scholarship Fund, FSU College of Medicine, Suite 117, 1115 W. Call St., Tallahassee, FL 32306-4300.
