February 9, 2009

Solid as a Rock

Don Burr retires after 53 years of service to Campbell

By Jeanne C. Carbone
Editor

After 53 years of service including Police Chief, Mayor and councilmember, Donald Raymond Burr, 75, is retiring.
“I’m Citizen Burr now,” said Burr. “Life has been good to me—damn near perfect.”

Former Mayor Don Burr passes the gavel to new Mayor Jane Kennedy at the official ceremony held at City Hall on Dec. 8. Photo courtesy of the City of Campbell.

Burr was born in Grass Valley but his parents moved to San Jose six months later taking their eight children to start new lives in the orchard filled Santa Clara Valley. He attended San Jose Tech and Woodrow Wilson Jr. High where he met his future wife Doreen when she was 13 and he 14. When the Korean War broke out, he quit school and joined the U.S Marines. When he was on leave from boot camp, the couple married. They were 17.

Serving in the Marine Corps’ crime investigating unit for 15 months in Korea spurred his interest even more in law enforcement, working his first homicide at only 18. A soldier had killed a Korean for 35 cents, a “slam dunk” case he remembers. Returning home he knew he would become a police officer but he wasn’t old enough to take the written exam. He worked for his wife’s father, house moving and “very hard work.” Armed with a GED and commanding officers’ recommendations, he took the first test that appeared in Santa Clara County. “It just happened to be Campbell,” said Burr.

Burr joined the Campbell Police Department in 1956 becoming one of five patrolmen patrolling the city that then had a population of 7,500. The police department operated out of the back of the fire house and there was no radio contact or backup support and if another officer called in sick, “you worked a double shift with no overtime.” There wasn’t a police academy for training but the young man caught on quickly. Burr was promoted to sergeant in 1960 and his fellow officer John Morgan became chief of police.

In 1964, Burr was promoted to lieutenant with the caveat of attending college for a degree. He attended San Jose State University, worked fulltime and raising three children with his wife. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration and a master of public administration degree. He wrote his thesis on “Politics in Municipal Budgeting” perhaps an indicator of his future career path. He was even offered a scholarship to obtain his doctorate but it would have meant more time away from home and “how much education do you need?” Burr became captain in 1968. In 1971 when Police Chief Morgan suffered a stroke and was totally paralyzed from the neck down Burr became acting chief of police. Bittersweet, the police department moved that year to the new [and current] city hall facilities that Morgan had helped design.

“I could have worked for Police Chief Morgan forever,” said Burr. “He was a great man and a great chief. And the others who tested with me [through the years] would have done the job[s] just as well or better. I was very lucky. The city of Campbell has treated me very well.”

In 1972, Burr was officially appointed chief of police where he served until his retirement in 1987. During his 31-year tenure, he supported the city’s own communications facility [prior to 1972 it was contracted with the county], selective routing 911 and the hiring of the city’s first woman police officer, Donna Perry. In 1981, he did double duty as chief of police and an interim city manager.

Campbell Police Officer Don Burr in 1958. Photo courtesy of the Burr family

Burr served as chairman of the Santa Clara County Police Association in 1985, from 1985 to 1987 on the California Chiefs Association Training Committee and from 1986-87 as policy board chairman of the county-wide Allied Agency Narcotics Enforcement Team. He was known for his fair but tough stance on enforcing the law and honored with nearly 600 persons attending his retirement dinner.

The retirement didn’t last long. In 1988, Burr supported Mike Kotowski and Ralph Doetsch for city council. When Doetsch dropped out due to a stroke, a family member asked if Burr would run for the seat.

“Doreen and I would walk the streets, her on one side and me on the other,” said Burr. “She got me elected. People would tell me later we voted for you but if we had a choice we would have voted for your wife.”

The Burrs’ will be married for 57 years in April and he credits her for much of his success. But the love affair and respect is mutual.

“Don couldn’t have been a better husband,” said Doreen Burr. “He’s very caring and always doing special things for me. And when something needs to be done, he sees that it is done. He’s a perfectionist.”

Burr won the councilmember seat in 1988 and ran unopposed another term. In 1997, he was back in law enforcement serving as the Milpitas Police Chief for six months. When Dan Furtado asked him to join a time consuming committee to update Campbell’s General Plan, Burr felt he could better serve the community by running for councilmember in 2000 and served his last term as mayor. And this past January there was another retirement party where 100s attended to honor his service to the city.

“Don has quite a legacy,” said Mayor Jane Kennedy who has known Burr since 1978. “Everything he’s done for Campbell—his time, his energy—is because he loves the city and the people. He’s done so much and he’s a great guy.”

And what does Citizen Burr have planned for his retirement? First some remodeling of their home in Campbell, a golf game or two and some trips to Santa Cruz. And of course, enjoying visits with their three children, 10 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren with two more on the way. “We’re just going to enjoy life and take it easy,” said Burr.