WILKES-BARRE -- King's College is remembering a man known for his life as a servant of God and as an inventor.
The Rev. Jozef Murgas is a pioneer of the first wireless telegraph. Now that and other accomplishments from his life's work will be open to the public in a room at King's College.
"He had many talents. He was an artist. He was a botanist. He was an architect," explained Bernadette Yencha.
"Fr. Morgash started the painting," said Magdalen Benish.
Benish helped bring Murgas' butterfly collection, his clerical vestments, and a picture that he painted to King's. Benish also helped raise the $100,000 to build the room.
"It was challenging, but people were very generous and people were very cooperative because they felt that it was time that this already came to fruition."
A couple blocks from the King's College campus sits the Sacred Heart of Jesus church. Fr. Murgas served as pastor there more than 100 years ago. The Diocese of Scranton, though, closed the church back in 2009. But some people who live in Wilkes-Barre wanted to preserve his memory.
"Now, the fact that the church is gone, we have something permanent for Fr. Murgas," Yencha said.
Yencha's brother was an altar server for Fr. Murgas. She says the priest made some of his inventions at Sacred Heart church, but among his greatest accomplishments was his contribution to radio.
"He was the first to transmit sound over land between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton," said Benish.
From that, Benish says another inventor was able to develop the radio.
The Fr. Murgas room is open to the public at King's College from its entrance at Public Square.