Welcome to morganton.com. Skip directly to: our Keyword Search, Section Navigation, Content.

Morganton.com - Morganton - The News Herald

HomeNewsEntertainmentSportsLifestylesOpinionCommunityWeather Online Tools Jobs | Real Estate | Shopping | Classified

Burleson urges community to move forward

Rick Fox | The News Herald

Aaron Bridges along with wife, Cari, and 4-month-old Westin attend celebration.

Burke County School Board Controversy

More articles about the Burke County School Board Controversy

By Julie N. Chang | The News Herald

Published: July 25, 2009

Updated: 07/25/2009 07:23 pm

MORGANTON - As former Burke County Public Schools Superintendent David Burleson plans to start a new chapter of his career, his commitment to Burke County continued to shine Saturday at First Baptist Church during a celebration of his service to the school system.

"Let's commit to moving this community forward," Burleson said.

After serving his last day as Burke County Public Schools Superintendent on June 30, Burleson accepted the position of principal at North Forsyth High School in Winston-Salem. He begins in the fall.

Burleson spent his entire professional career in Burke, starting as a math teacher and coach at Freedom High in 1982. He was principal of Oak Hill Junior High, assistant principal and principal at Freedom High and associate superintendent of Burke County Schools from 1996 until he became superintendent in 2000.

After a standing ovation from the crowd following reflections from his colleagues, Burleson said, "The only thing I can really say is thank you. Thank you for doing this."

Burleson urged attendees to move forward and focus on the children.

"There's times we don't know why God closes certain doors, but he opens other doors," Burleson said.

And yet another door opened when Burleson's daughter, Heather Burleson, surprised him and the crowd by announcing the inception of the David C. Burleson Scholarship for Education.

Heather Burleson, who is getting married soon, said in honor of the guests at her wedding, she and her husband have made a donation to start the fund in honor of her father.

"We hope this scholarship will give others the chance you had," Heather Burleson said.

David Burleson was overcome with emotion as his daughter announced the scholarship opportunity, wiping away tears as she expounded on the scholarship.

The celebration of Burleson's 27 years in the school system was light hearted more often than not, with several anecdotes that sent the crowd roaring with laughter.

Hilda Vessel, Terry Rogers and Trossie Wall shared several stories from Burleson's time at Freedom. The tales ranged from the outrageous to serious tales.

"David was truly loved and respected by everyone, students and faculty," Vessel said.

Barbara McCurry shared that she had been apprehensive about Burleson's move from the math department to principal of Freedom.

"What ended up being the math department's lost ended up being the school's, and certainly mine's, gain," McCurry said.

Both McCurry and Susan Pollpeter compared the atmosphere of Burleson's administration to the closeness a family experiences.

Pollpeter said, "David's showed us that he's a real person and he cared about us as individuals."

The importance of family was a recurring theme, as Harold Clark said, "I can say that nearly every conversation David and I have comes back to family.

"Home is something that is genuine to him," Clark said.

With Burleson's new home in mind, the speakers remained positive about Burleson's future outside of the county, with Rogers asking, "By the way, why are we feeling sorry for you? You just got $150,000 and a new job!"

Burleson said, "Today lets me understand how truly blessed we are, that I am."

Donations to the David C. Burleson Scholarship for Education can be made to P.O. Box 64, Drexel, N.C., 28619.