John D. Murphy

Early life Murphy spent his childhood in the Santa Clara Valley. He would later study at San Jose State University in the late 1960s, leading to a teaching position at the college. His time in San Jose also led him to write an unpublished novel about the Murder of Brooke Hart and the lynching of Thomas Harold Thurmond and John M. Holmes, which later became Valley of the Heart's Delight, a film about the event.

In 1976, Murphy and John Sperling co-founded the University of Phoenix. He served as the senior vice president for institutional affairs and academic vice president where he was tasked with government affairs and accreditation for the school. Murphy resigned from his position in 1997 due to "philosophical disagreements over the direction of the school".