Jack Burton Passes Away

     Jack Burton, a former physics teacher at Broadneck H.S. in Cape St Clair, died Jan. 4, 2019, from metastatic colon cancer. He was 82. 
    Born in Rochester, NY, Burton attended Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) on scholarship for two years intending to be a mechanical engineer. Instead, in 1955, he transferred to SUNY Albany and completed his bachelor's in English and speech in 1960. While at Albany, he taught at Arthur Murray Studio where he met his first wife and taught ballroom dance throughout his life. He earned the first master's in Fine Arts (MFA) in stage direction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1962 despite a bout with tuberculosis. Primarily a teacher, Burton worked at Onteora High School (NY), Kingston High School (NY), Westminster College (Fulton, Mo.), Moorhead State College (Minnesota), directing numerous high school, college and community theater productions of opera, musical theater and plays as well as directing the Miss New York State pageant (Miss America preliminary) for three years, over the course of his career. From 1970 to 1983, he taught English and film study at Horace Greeley in Chappaqua, NY. After leaving Greeley, his work at RIT provided enough credits to be certified to teach AP physics, general physics and physical science from 1983 to 1998 at Broadneck High School. From 1989 to 1998, he was the school's Science Department chairman and assisted with the design of the new science wing. He retired from teaching in 1998. Over the next 20 years, he held numerous volunteer positions at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., taught homebound students, performed as General George Washington for a local special events company owned by his daughter, and wrote film curriculum for Journeys in Film, a company providing materials on popular films for classroom use. 
    Mr. Burton is survived by his wife, Doris, of Davidsonville, Md.; three children from his first marriage to the late Georgina Dodd Burton, Pamela Moore (Steve) of Chapel Hill, N.C., Gregory (Erin) of Rosendale, N.Y. and Antony (Jackie) of Pleasantville; and three grandsons, Connor, Ryan and Jacob. 
    A memorial service was held Mar. 23, 2019, at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 301 A St. SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Chesapeake at 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, Md. 21122 or to the Historic Preservation Fund of St. Mark's Church.