Tori Murden
Encyclopedia
Victoria Murden McClure is an explorer who was the first woman to make a solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by rowboat. (She claims she is an explorer, but not an "adventure.") She was also the first woman and first American to ski to the geographic South Pole
. She is the president of Spalding University
.
and as a child moved to Connecticut and then to Pennsylvania. At the age of fifteen, she moved in with her grandmother in Louisville, Kentucky
to attend the Louisville Collegiate School
from which she graduated in 1981. She went on to Smith College
, earning a Bachelor's Degree in psychology in 1985. She followed that with a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School
in 1989, a J.D.
from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1995, and a Master of Fine Arts in writing from Spalding University.
and finishing at Guadeloupe
on December 3, 1999. It was her second trip across the Ocean, her first one cut short due to hurricane season in 1998.
She wrote a memoir about her experiences, A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean, published by Collins in 2009.
.
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
. She is the president of Spalding University
Spalding University
Spalding University is a private, co-educational university affiliated with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and located in Louisville, Kentucky.-History:...
.
Early life and education
McClure was born in Brooksville, FloridaBrooksville, Florida
Brooksville is an incorporated city in Hernando County, Florida, in the United States. It is the county seat of Hernando County. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
and as a child moved to Connecticut and then to Pennsylvania. At the age of fifteen, she moved in with her grandmother in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
to attend the Louisville Collegiate School
Louisville Collegiate School
Louisville Collegiate School is a junior kindergarten-12th grade, co-ed independent day school located in the Highlands neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky...
from which she graduated in 1981. She went on to Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, earning a Bachelor's Degree in psychology in 1985. She followed that with a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
in 1989, a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1995, and a Master of Fine Arts in writing from Spalding University.
Solo row across the Atlantic
Thirty-six years old at the time, she rowed for eighty-one days, traveling 4767 kilometres (2,962.1 mi), starting from the Canary IslandsCanary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and finishing at Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
on December 3, 1999. It was her second trip across the Ocean, her first one cut short due to hurricane season in 1998.
She wrote a memoir about her experiences, A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean, published by Collins in 2009.
Career
McClure has served as a chaplain at Boston City Hospital, the executive director of a shelter for homeless women, a public policy analyst for the Mayor of Louisville, and she worked for the boxer and humanitarian Muhhamad Ali. On June 1, 2010 she became the president of Spalding University in Louisville, KY. She is the Chair of the Board of the National Outdoor Leadership SchoolNational Outdoor Leadership School
The National Outdoor Leadership School , is a non-profit outdoor education school based in the United States dedicated to teaching environmental ethics, technical outdoor skills, safety and judgment, and leadership on extended wilderness expeditions...
.