He wears article my grandfathering would. Brown shoes, khakis, a golf shirt, a sweater. You know, the actuality grandfathers wear. He welcomes me into his home, introduces me to his wife (she is donning a Swamp Bats sweatshirt), and sits me bottomward in a adequate couch in a ancillary room.
The allowance is baby and cozy, but not stuffy. There is a lath adjoin one wall, the couch on the adverse wall, and pictures absorption a life's absorption about the room.
Then we talked. We talked for what seemed like hours — the man was abounding of absorbing stories. We, or should I say he, talked about aggregate from Joe Cronin, to dentistry, to the counterintelligence administering of the NAVY (spies), to the Cheshire Centermost of Applied Science and Technology, and aback again. But the man never absent my attention.
Throughout the conversation, it was credible that Charlie Burns still cared about students. Afterwards actuality arch at Keene Aerial for 18 years, he retired. And in 1997 he became a big allotment of the Keene baseball phenomenon: The Swamp Bats. He's on the lath of admiral for the affairs and feels the non-profit alignment has accustomed aback abundantly to the community. For one, the summer baseball alignment has accept put added than $80,000 into Alumni Field over the accomplished four years.
That money has helped out every distinct baseball affairs that plays at the aerial school's facilities. The Swamp Bats accept adapted allotment of and corrective the accomplished grandstand. They accept angled the admeasurement of the acknowledgment stand, they accept congenital affliction attainable bathrooms, they paved the breadth about the acknowledgment stand, they accept adapted the infield twice, and they congenital the present columnist box.
Not aggregate we talked about was about sports. Mr. Burns told me he abounding Boston College for bristles years, and accelerating with a amount in amusing studies afterwards aggravating dentistry. He had aimed for dentistry early: Halfway through his chief year in aerial academy he entered an advancing pre-med affairs that covered all the sciences in two years. Afterwards commutual that, he planned on entering the Army's dentistry program, but he bootless the physical, and was not accustomed to enlist.
He chose apprenticeship as a career, and he started by teaching amusing studies at Conant Aerial Academy in Jaffrey. He accomplished and accomplished there for three years. Again he enlisted in the Army's Counterintelligence Corps and became a spy in the Korean War. Aback he returned, his old position had been filled, so Conant assassin him to advise science because of his accomplishments at Boston College. Four years later, he larboard for Keene High.
In Keene, he accomplished physics for three years, again confused into administration, and in 1964, Mr. Burns became the arch of Keene High. He spent 18 years adrift the halls, interacting with the students, accessory antic contest and concerts and shows.
A administration as continued as his was — and is — about exceptional of. He is one of a scattering of New England principals who chose to break of for so continued in such a aerial burden authoritative position. His adulation for kids and this association collection his awful acknowledged Keene Aerial Academy career.
I anticipate he larboard a big appulse on Keene Aerial School. His best apparent ability came aboriginal on aback he spearheaded a angle to accompany a abstruse centermost to Keene. Keene Aerial became the aboriginal academy in the accompaniment that accustomed money (over $1 million) to body a abstruse center.
The Cheshire Centermost for Applied Science and Technology is still a basic allotment of Keene High, alms a array of courses from apparatus boutique to computer science to comestible arts.
Chuck Sweeney, a above apprentice who became a abecedary at Keene Aerial aback Mr. Burns was principal, said, "Mr. Burns is apparently the best allusive arch in Keene High's history." Jack Hitchner, who accomplished English at Keene Aerial for over thirty years, said that Mr. Burns took a lot of pride in Keene High's contest and sportsmanship. Mr. Hitchner remembered that Mr. Burns went to as abounding antic contest as he could, and that he was consistently anxious about the sportsmanship of the academy athletes. Mr. Hitchner cited Mr. Burns' "compassion for the students; his benevolence for the faculty, and the pride he took in the apprenticeship Keene Aerial had to offer."
When I was abrogation afterwards our chat, he aggregate with me article actual interesting. In August, he was at the aerial academy giving Vic Sokul, Keene Aerial School's new principal, a allowance and adulatory him success. Aback Mr. Burns larboard the academy that day, he ran into one of his above acceptance who was advancing aback to set up a scholarship fund. The man told Mr. Burns that he was the best affecting being in his life, and he explained that he capital to accord article aback to Keene Aerial School. Therefore he was allowance authorize a scholarship fund.
Mr. Burns remarked to me, "See, you absolutely don't apperceive aback you're activity to advice someone."
It became bright to me again that apprenticeship for Mr. Burns complex extensive out and allowance people. He did not advice this man out so that 20 years bottomward the alley a new Keene Aerial Academy scholarship armamentarium would be created. He helped him because he cared. Charlie Burns cares about people. That is why he will abide as one of the abundant principals of our school's history and a acquaintance of hundreds of above Keene Aerial Academy students.
John Grainger is a inferior in the honors-level American Studies chic at Keene Aerial School, for which he wrote this report.
