[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 80 (Thursday, May 31, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E929]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING DR. FRANK BURKE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF DENHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 31, 2012

  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize retired Stanislaus 
County administrator, Dr. Frank Burke, who turns 100 years old on June 
19, 2012.
  Frank was born June 19, 1912, in Denver, Colorado. He was the first 
child of Frank and Emma Burke, children of Irish immigrants who had 
fled Ireland's potato famine of 1846 and settled in Iowa. Frank spent 
his formative years in Oregon with his brother, Larry, and mother, 
Emma, who worked as an elementary school teacher in several small 
schools in the eastern region of Oregon.
  Dr. Burke graduated from Gonzaga University in 1932, and after a 
variety of sales and merchandising jobs, moved to San Francisco. Under 
the urging of his aunt, a former school teacher, he enrolled in San 
Francisco State University to seek a teaching credential. In 1940, he 
married Dorothy Grennan and returned back to school at UC Berkeley, 
where he graduated with a Doctorate in Education in 1958.
  Since 1939, Frank has had an exciting career that took him all over 
California as an elementary school teacher for Alturas Elementary in 
Modoc County and Mann Elementary School in Alameda County, to principal 
to assistant superintendent in Siskiyou, Contra Costa, and Stanislaus 
Counties.
  Frank's final position was in Stanislaus County as the Director of 
Elementary Education, where he was later promoted to Assistant 
Superintendent of Stanislaus County Office of Education.
  Frank retired in 1975, but spent 16 more years supervising student 
teachers, working for Stanislaus State University as a college 
instructor, and working for the county office.
  Frank was the recipient of Association of California School 
Administrators Region VII's Retired Administrator of the Year Award and 
continues to be very active in the Association of California School 
Administrators, ACSA, the ACSA Retirees' group, and the Exchange Club.
  Frank currently resides in Modesto and is quick to jump into a 
discourse on improving education--providing stimulating opportunities 
to discuss new ways in which to help students learn and grow. Frank is 
committed to improving our community and is a frequent writer of 
letters to the editor of the Modesto Bee.
  Frank was married for 63 years to Dorothy, who passed away in 2004. 
He has six children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring Dr. Frank Burke for his 
unwavering leadership, and recognizing his accomplishments and 
contributions. Frank serves as an example of excellence to those in our 
community.

                          ____________________