At 10 or 11, Murphy dreamed of World Series glory from the old Nichols Field in Eastwood. More than 55 years later, with close buddies in the house, he brought it home.
Sean Kirst
Sean Kirst is a columnist with The Central Current. He has been an Upstate journalist for more than 50 years. He held his first reporting job as a teenager and worked for newspapers in Dunkirk, Niagara Falls, Rochester and Syracuse, where he spent 27 years before joining the Buffalo News in 2016.
He is the recipient of many national and state journalism awards, including the Ernie Pyle Award, given annually to one American journalist for writing about the dreams and struggles of everyday people. He received the national excellence in column writing award from the Society for Professional Journalists, Capitolbeat's top national award for column writing about state government and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence national media award. Between 2016 and 2025, in Buffalo, he received the New York News Publishers Association distinguished column writing award eight times, often in its largest circulation category.
Kirst, who serves as a journalist-in-residence at Le Moyne College, was named a civic Wisdom Keeper by FOCUS Greater Syracuse and his name was placed on a Wall of Distinction by the Syracuse Press Club for lifetime achievement in journalism. Kirst has been honored by the federal Department of Justice for sensitivity to victims of violent crime. He has received honorary degrees from Le Moyne and Onondaga Community College, and was honored by SUNY Fredonia in 2022 for outstanding achievement by alumni. He is a recipient of the Onondaga Historical Association medal, the OHA's highest award for preserving and interpreting local heritage.
Kirst, a TedX speaker, has given many talks about the importance of storytelling in journalism, especially in a digital age, and he is the author of three books: The Ashes of Lou Gehrig, Moonfixer, and The Soul of Central New York, published in 2016, the fastest-selling book in the more-than-80-year history of the Syracuse University Press. The England-based Tolkien Society credits Kirst with serving as founder of international Tolkien Reading Day, now celebrated around the world.
Kirst and his wife Nora, a retired city schoolteacher, have three grown children: Sarah, Seamus and Liam.
Sean can be reached at skirst@centralcurrent.org
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Sean Kirst: Corcoran runners gather to see John Hohm, a ‘city kid’ like them, enter sports Hall of Fame
When it mattered in a way that rose far beyond sports, a coach lived out everything he taught about loyalty and faith in community.
Posted inNews
Sean Kirst: Fifty years ago, Gregg Allman asked a Syracuse band to support his surprise show at a high school assembly
On Oct. 20, 1976, students at Buffalo’s Canisius High School were called to an assembly involving “acoustical science.” Instead of a lecture, Allman and Cher were there, as well as a Syracuse band called Freeze.
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Sean Kirst: After passing of Mark Cass, North Side Learning Center leaders seek to build upon his love and vision
An annual dinner Saturday creates a chance to both honor Cass and to look toward the future for immigrant communities served at the Park Street complex.
Posted inNews
Sean Kirst: Tonight in Syracuse, a national update on the church, clergy sexual abuse and healing for survivors
The public is invited to hear reflections from Albany Bishop Mark O’Connell, chair-elect of a key church committee for protecting children.
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Sean Kirst: In Syracuse, in a season for ghosts, Donald Trump collides with legacy of president who served when Trump was born
Seventy-four years ago, on his own campaign visit to Syracuse, Harry Truman described an American landscape powerfully opposite to how Donald Trump portrayed it Friday night.
Posted inSean Kirst's Upstate Journal
Sean Kirst: Jim Gifford’s life equaled faith in Elmwood. Saturday’s cleanup, in his memory, nurtures that spark.
An annual gathering in honor of a guy, lost to violence, whose everyday world represented full neighborhood commitment.
Posted inSean Kirst
Sean Kirst: For three more months, at St. Lucy’s, cherishing ‘Father Jim’s Way’
A community surprise was unveiled last Thursday for a legendary priest, renowned for his outreach, who is set to retire on Jan. 1.
Posted inNews
Sean Kirst: At birth, the doctors said Dave Murray might not live to be 5. A double lung transplant later, he just turned 70.
Born with cystic fibrosis, time and struggle taught Murray one especially vital key to daily life: Listening.
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Sean Kirst: To honor a wife lost on Sept. 11, a guy who never forgets understands how the simplest moments mean everything
Twenty-five years later, Mark Morabito sees the greatest lesson in his life, amid vast grief, as following through on quiet things that matter most.
