[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 176 (Monday, December 7, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1719-E1720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING GEORGE BURKE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 7, 2015

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember and honor a dear friend 
and colleague, George Burke. Full of passion and energy, he dedicated 
his life to fighting for our progressive Democratic values. A trusted, 
wise and gifted political mind, George's vision and leadership helped 
build and grow our Democratic Party of Virginia.
  A man of many talents, he was an accomplished journalist, 
photographer, congressional staffer, senior labor leader with the 
International Association of Fire Fighters, the Chair of the 11th 
Congressional District Democratic Committee, and my trusted confidant 
and Communications Director.
  A constituent and friend of both George and mine, Mike Burke Kirby, 
recently endeavored to interview many of those who knew George and 
capture what George meant to so many. I submit Mr. Kirby's eloquent 
tribute to George.
  For more than 30 years I have been fortunate to call George my close 
friend. We will all miss his stories, his unwavering optimistic 
approach to life, and his love for his friends and family. His loss 
will leave a great void in all our lives and I will miss him dearly. I 
ask my colleagues to join me in remembering George Burke.

                        George Burke [1951-2015]

(By Mike Burke Kirby, Former Chair Fairfax County Democratic Committee)

       With all of his spirit, I thought George Burke was going to 
     keep beating cancer for another ten years. He certainly had 
     ten more years of wisdom and advice, laughter and courage for 
     all of us.
       After centuries of subjugation on their own island, many 
     Irish Americans were conditioned to thrive in politics in 
     this huge nation of democracy. Fighting for their own freedom 
     here, and for the rights of other minorities and women. Those 
     include Gerry Connolly and Jim Moran. George has been a hero 
     in many of those fights.
       George was a ``Connector,'' like Paul Revere. Many people 
     rode from Boston to tell people that the British were sending 
     troops west from the city. For weeks, panicky calls were 
     made. Finally, they only listened to Paul Revere because 
     everyone knew and trusted him. George knew 50 times as many 
     people as you and!. They all thought George was one of the 
     best people they ever met.
       George never seemed to parse the issue differences among 
     Democrats. He simply thought that any Democrat was more of a 
     democrat than any Republican He fought to make sure the 
     nominating processes were fair. With a nominee, he put his 
     shoulder to the wheel.
       The print and broadcast media industries declined early in 
     the 21st Century. When George got young people, journalists, 
     press staff and politicians, into the ``Burke Zone,'' he 
     mentored them into the integrity and responsibility, the 
     professionalism and punctuality from that loss. George's 
     effect on Hill staffers was evident the week after his 
     death--with a hundred young faces gathered outside of Rayburn 
     Building for a memorial.
       For those who lived through the 1960s, the memory of Civil 
     Rights, the Viet Nam War, the draft, the Kennedy and King 
     Assassinations, the demonstrations, the politics and music 
     can all come through with just a few words, which mean little 
     to later generations. Many of us shared that with George, 
     especially Gerry Connolly who was with him daily for many 
     years.
       George often bragged about his independent ways, including 
     his own travel routes. In the Snowmagedon, George left the 
     office well after Gerry and James. Six hours after they left 
     DC, the two were only at Bailey's Crossroads, and on a radio 
     station by phone. George called to say ``hi.'' He had been 
     home already, far beyond Bailey's, had a coffee from 
     Starbucks and was on his way back to Sears to buy a washing 
     machine on sale. Gerry asked where he was; actually George 
     could see them from his inbound car across the street.
       After a broken neck George's hearing suffered enough that 
     he couldn't pick up the vibrator on his phone. So, he never 
     turned off the sound. In a medium sized event with President 
     Obama, George's phone went off. With everybody looking, he 
     answered it. It was Rachel.
       An ``8 X 10 Glossy'' Penny called him, with vast brain 
     power, a pure political analyst and tactician. A total friend 
     who always remained common, who persevered with a lot more 
     than grace through four bouts with cancer. He attended all of 
     her weekly campaign staff meetings until he went into the 
     hospital for the last time.
       George held court at the Mason District Crab Feast. The 
     next day, he showed up again to help dismantle the ``God 
     awful tent.'' Even with the broken neck he still came to sit 
     under the porch and spin tales.
       Rachel pestered him early to write the Mason Precinct 
     Letter. George waited until the issues were ripe. Letters 
     almost always perfect.
       Mark Levine got George into Public Access TV, where he 
     covered local politics. The stage may have been small; but 
     George covered it like Dan Rather. He was proud of a large 
     new set, and was completely unfazed when the lighting panel 
     dropped and other parts of the set disintegrated,
       George's last student, Jake, was grateful for the little 
     time he was able to spend with George. No conversation, no 
     detail, and definitely no person was too big for George--it 
     all mattered to him. Over their 20 to 30 to 90 to 180 minute 
     phone conversations, everything mattered Every question 
     deserves a well thought out response, every roadblock 
     mandates a thoroughly strategized plan to go around it. 
     George's main lesson, looking back on it, was to ``pay 
     attention'' and not to let any opportunity, no matter how 
     small, be wasted.
       George hosted the debate among the seven Democratic 
     candidates for the 8th Congressional District nomination in 
     2014. On the race, he gave political advice to all of them.
       George spent 16 years as head of Communications at the 
     International Association of Fire Fighters, a job he loved 
     and talked about all the time. Even after he left the IAFF, 
     at every big political dinner, no matter what other hat he 
     was wearing, he always sat at the Fire Fighters table. He 
     served with the Fire Fighters through September 11.
       In Fairfax County, the Fire Fighters called George a 
     mastermind. After years of failing to get a federal grant for 
     the Safety for an Adequate Fire Emergency Response, George 
     and Gerry Connolly stepped in. They now have a grant for 
     millions of dollars that gives the County 49 additional staff 
     on ladder trucks.
       George took care of any issue, knew how the legislatures 
     work and could always find a way to fix any problem. John 
     Niemiec, said as a friend, George even helped people get 
     recommendations.
       Dan Duncan was Communications Director for the Seafarers 
     Union, while George was president of the International Labor 
     Communications Association. George worked hard to get labor 
     press respected both within the union movement and among the 
     general media. They were all propagandists of one kind or 
     another because, if they didn't promote their members, they 
     certainly could not expect any one else to do so. George 
     understood that and worked hard to transition labor media 
     from membership newspapers and magazines to the emerging 
     world of what would become social media.
       Dan Duncan knew George when he was on the 11th District 
     Democratic Committee,

[[Page E1720]]

     which George chaired. When Dan presided at the NoVA Labor 
     Federation, George knew the numbers and he knew the people. 
     He worked hard for consensus, but allowed those with opposing 
     views about candidates and/or issues to get their points 
     across without folks becoming alarmed or challenged.
       Long discussions with Cathy Hoffman, a boss at Liberty 
     Mountain Resort in near Gettysburg, of the triumphs and 
     challenges of their teenage kids. Many stories of George, the 
     very patient instructor of the most timid skiers. Many ski 
     instructors are prima donnas, but not George. George's name 
     is still on the instructor schedule at Liberty for this 
     winter They can't seem to take it off.
       Kelly Kurtyka also instructed at Liberty. She tried her 
     son, Spenser, at skiing at the age of three. His response of 
     ``It's really cold, Mommy'' devastated her. The next year, 
     Cathy put Spencer with George Burke. ``Mr. George'' worked on 
     his own time and waved his magic wands, and Spencer joined 
     his family as a great skier. George brought him stuff from 
     skiing in Switzerland, and Spencer drew pictures of him in 
     school.
       After George travelled across the U.S., he met Sharon the 
     Nurse, who, ``took him into the woods.'' Great couple for 
     hiking, kayaking, camping in New England. Not many spouses 
     are blessed with a partner who loves the outdoors so. That 
     worked really well for Sharon and George for 45 years.
       With different knee and ankle strengths, Sharon lost her 
     downhill ability, but cross country skied a lot. George was 
     better at downhill and loved it, and taught it. Still, he 
     often cross country skied with Sharon.
       None of us can quite remember what George was like before 
     he had two cell phones, on in any environment. With the blue 
     tooth in his ear in New England, a little kid walking down 
     the beach noticed that his arm was raised: George's hand with 
     the phone in it, way up to get better reception. An hour 
     later the kid came back and noticed that George's arm was 
     still in the air.
       George and Sharon were a team, and you could see that 
     whenever and wherever they were together, more often at Labor 
     events than political ones.
       While folks in local politics never knew where he got the 
     time, George was a five star dad. He changed the diapers. Mom 
     nursed on the weekends and dad was full time. Skiing of 
     course, but also an indulgence in swimming, crew, marching 
     band at Jeb Stuart. The Burke kids loved the outdoors with 
     their parents.
       None of George's kids got the political infection. But they 
     did get his love of music: the Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, 
     B.B. King. They still mostly do the music. The youngest 
     however follows more rap and ski boarding.
       Family holidays were always a very big event with them. 
     Sharon will especially miss the big holiday related events.
       In the spring, Sharon will take Georges' ashes on a two 
     hour hike to his favorite ravine in New England.
       When you get the vocation for public service, it can be 
     joyful and rewarding. But you will miss a lot, mostly your 
     wife and kids; and they'll miss you. This is a great country 
     for public service: on the Hill, for the union, and in state 
     and local politics. For almost 250 years, this nation has 
     followed the path to ever more democracy. Rarely as good as 
     spending all your time with your family, and certainly better 
     than leaving your family a fortune, you can leave them a 
     better country to live in. George Burke very much did that.
       After he last got out of the hospital, George wanted a 
     party, sort of an early Irish Wake. Some said he wanted his 
     kids to know what he did; some that he wanted to critique 
     whatever we all said. His editing eyes are very much on my 
     shoulder. We will still have George's party, maybe in 
     January. Lots more of the best we know of him and very little 
     of grief. Do you know many people who had such a good run?
       Whenever I needed advice or had a question for 30+ years, 
     every voice mail or e-mail got an immediate answer. Nobody 
     else ever does that.
       In writing this, I spoke to more than 30 people. Not all 
     were included specifically here; but they brought a flood of 
     great adjectives. Everyone said ``true friend.''
       The list of candidates and campaigners who got great advice 
     from George would take many pages. If you are reading this, 
     you are probably one of them.
       Whatever you think about after death, the memory of George 
     is softly etched in all of our hearts. He will continue to 
     live in each of us as we remember him almost every day.
       Susie Warner with photo of smiling, skiing George on 
     mountain in the west: ``I love to remember George like 
     this.''

                          ____________________