After an extensive career in public service, working for the City of San Clemente for 20 years and nearly 16 years for the City of Dana Point, Recreation Manager Sherry Murphy announced her retirement.
Working for the two cities for a combined 36 years, Murphy continued her family’s legacy of lengthy public service.
Murphy’s father, Max Berg, worked as a city clerk in San Clemente for 35 years. Two years after her father retired, Murphy joined the city’s staff, working part time at the San Clemente Community Center’s front desk.
“Long story short, I was with the City of San Clemente for 20 years, from 1987 to 2007,” Murphy said. “I started at the front desk, part-time customer service person and then I moved into a full-time customer service specialist and then into a recreation coordinator.”
When an opportunity opened with the City of Dana Point for a recreation supervisor position in 2007, Murphy leapt at the opportunity. In 2014, Murphy was promoted to recreation manager.
“I love my career,” Murphy said. “I love what I’ve done. It’s very rewarding providing enjoyment to people and that’s what recreation does.”
“People come to us to take a recreation class or go to some of our events or rent one of our parks for a wedding,” Murphy continued. “It’s always been a very fulfilling career for me and it’s bittersweet that I’m retiring now.”
Though her favorite holiday is Halloween and she especially loves the annual Spooktacular, and Trunk or Treat events, Murphy added that she’s especially proud of starting the city’s Movies in the Park series.
“I’m really proud of the way that we’ve developed all of our special events and it draws people from everywhere to our city,” Murphy said.
During its meeting on Tuesday, April 18, the Dana Point City Council, along with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, recognized Murphy for her tenure with the city.
Assistant City Manager Kelly Reenders commented that Murphy had “done a tremendous service to our community for all of those years.”
“Oh Sherry, how do you sum up a career that first started with 20 years in San Clemente and then finishes off with let’s say 16 years in Dana Point,” Reenders said.
Current and previous staff members joined Murphy in front of the council dais to take photos together and celebrate her retirement.
“It’s a testament to you how many staff are here, past and present amongst your family members too,” Reenders said.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Commander Wayne Yost (left) and (right) VFW Vice Commander Richard Alonzo present Recreation Manager Sherry Murphy with a plaque in celebration of her retirement from the City of Dana Point on Tuesday, April 18. Photo: Breeana Greenberg 
Family and friends join Recreation Manager Sherry Murphy on Tuesday, April 18, to celebrate her retirement after working for the City of Dana Point for nearly 16 years. Photo: Breeana Greenberg 
Current and previous staff members join Recreation Manager Sherry Murphy in front of the council dais to take photos together and celebrate her retirement during the City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, April 18. Photo: Breeana Greenberg 
Code Enforcement Officer Ted Harris is recognized during the City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, April 18, for his retirement after working for the city since 2013. Photo: Breeana Greenberg 
(From left) After working for the City of Dana Point for nearly 16 years, Recreation Manager Sherry Murphy is presented with a proclamation from Mayor Mike Frost in celebration of her retirement on Tuesday, April 18. Photo: Breeana Greenberg
Reenders added that Murphy brought in an extra touch to the city’s annual celebrations by launching a kids art and literature contest and painting whale tails to be displayed throughout the city during the Festival of Whales.
Being recognized at City Council “was really a wonderful experience,” Murphy said. “I couldn’t keep it together a couple of times. I started crying in the middle of the presentation. It was just wonderful to have a lot of my staff there, past and present staff, and the recognition by the VFW was just wonderful.”
“The support that I’ve always felt from our council and the upper management, everything, it was just very, very overwhelmingly emotional for me,” Murphy continued.
Murphy added that over the last 15½ year with the city, she’s developed special relationships with all of the local nonprofit groups.
“That’s another great thing about my position too, being able to work with all our local nonprofits and help them and their fundraising efforts,” Murphy said.
Murphy’s last day with the city is May 1.
Looking forward to retiring, Murphy said she’s excited to spend more time with her family, creating wire-wrapped jewelry, traveling and camping more and look into fostering or helping an animal rescue.
Murphy plans to sell her wire-wrapped jewelry at the Dana Point ArtFest on June 11.
Code Enforcement Officer Ted Harris was also recognized at the April 18 council meeting for his retirement after working for the city since 2013.
“You’ve done a heck of a job, tough job,” Mayor Mike Frost said during the council meeting. “Code enforcement, it’s critical. It’s very much important to our overall quality of life, but let’s be honest, it is awfully difficult. A lot of people with differing perspectives and sir, you’ve handled it tremendously well for the last 10 years.”
Harris worked for 28 years in the Orange County Sheriff’s Department before he joined the City of Dana Point’s code enforcement department.
“I will tell everybody that I ever meet, working in the City of Dana Point has been a blessing,” Harris said during the meeting. “I’m talking, not just with the Sheriff’s Department but with the personnel who work with the city.”
“You will never find any better personnel that works for the city, that cares for the city more than you do right here,” Harris added.
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