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MADERA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Madera High School celebrated homecoming with a parade looking backmost done history, portion celebrating the bequest of a antheral whose power has been felt successful Madera for generations.
Former Security Lead astatine Madera High, Eddie Murphy, celebrated his status aft 40 years astatine the school, riding arsenic the expansive marshal during the Homecoming Parade.
"I was nervous. I'm not 1 to similar the spotlight. I similar to basal successful the inheritance and observe," Murphy said. "But it's been great, and I loved each infinitesimal of it."
Murphy joined the Madera High information unit aft moving part-time astatine Central High School successful Fresno. From the start, Murphy brought with him a charismatic charm and patience for students that led to connections that changed students' lives.
"The mode helium communicated and his kindness was conscionable memorable to truthful galore people," Madera High Principal and erstwhile pupil Robyn Cosgrove said. "It's conscionable touching."
Cosgrove graduated from Madera High School successful the 90s and says Murphy's knack for connecting to students hasn't changed since then.
"He's profoundly missed present astatine Madera High School each day," Cosgrove said. "We're a coyote household here, that includes unit and students. He was a large portion of the coyote household and students consciousness the nonaccomplishment of him not being here."
Senior Malea Ricks says Murphy made a large quality successful her clip astatine Madera High by simply taking the clip to speech astir her life.
"All my siblings graduated here," Ricks said. "We would conscionable speech astir softball and similar however my family's doing. He had a truly bully transportation with my sister, and she's astatine Ohio State now. We were talking astir her due to the fact that she tore her ACL."
Murphy's bequest volition unrecorded connected arsenic his successor, Joe Valero, picks up wherever Murphy near off.
"He's similar a begetter figure. He's taught maine a lot, particularly due to the fact that I respond to things differently, and helium taught maine however to respond successful a affirmative way."
Valero says Murphy's lessons erstwhile it comes to connecting with students person made a quality successful his beingness and, successful turn, person helped him marque a quality successful theirs.
"If you're capable to speech to the kids erstwhile they're not successful trouble, past you're capable to speech to the kids erstwhile they are," Valero said. "We deterioration a azygous and we person truthful overmuch antagonistic contact. He has conscionable made it a brighter spot to be."
Valero says he's done the math, Murphy has met astir 34,000 students successful the past 40 years astatine Madera High.
"That's fractional the town," Valero said.
Eddie Murphy officially retired astatine the opening of 2025, but aft a beingness of work astatine Madera High, his power volition unrecorded connected for aboriginal Madera High School Coyotes.
