I've got some sad news to pass along about the death Saturday of former longtime Wake County high school principal Richard Murphy.

Murphy, 62, who had cancer, was a Wake high school principal for 21 years, including a year at East Wake High and nine years at Sanderson High. But he's perhaps best known for having been the first principal of Leesville Road High School, which opened in 1993.

Murphy left Leesville in 2004 to become senior director of high school programs.