Spring Hill to Honor Burkes' Generosity by Naming New Library for Their Parents

Mar 28th, 2004

Mobile, Ala. - Spring Hill College announced it will name its new library the Marnie & John Burke Memorial Library in honor of the parents of Spring Hill trustee John Burke, Jr. ’63 and his brother, Kevin Burke ’66. The library is being named in recognition of the generosity of the Burke brothers to Spring Hill College totaling $7.5 million in gifts and pledges. The announcement was made Saturday night during the College's Homecoming Celebration dinner.

“Honoring the human spirit is at the core of our Jesuit values—values I believe John and Kevin have held closely to since leaving Spring Hill,” said Fr. Gregory F. Lucey, S.J., president of Spring Hill College. “As proud as I am today to recognize John and Kevin for their generosity to the College, I am even more pleased that they have chosen to honor the spirit of their parents with such a lasting tribute."

The Burkes’ combined gifts and pledges to Spring Hill make for the second largest giving total in College history, second only to that of Skip Viragh’s giving history of $13.5 million. The naming of the library recognizes the Burkes’ generosity to the College, yet their gifts have been and will be used for several critical needs at Spring Hill, including an endowment to sustain the Burke Memorial Library. Thus, the College will continue its efforts to fund fully this $21.5 million library project.

The Burke Memorial Library will open in July and will feature about 70,000 square feet among three floors, including a 24-hour computer lab, individual study rooms and a café. A formal dedication for the Burke Memorial Library will be held September 24.

“Both of us have a soft spot in our hearts for Spring Hill College,” said John Burke, Jr. speaking for himself and his brother. “There is no doubt that our parents’ sacrifice to send us to school there helped us get where we are today. Naming the new library for our parents is an appropriate way to show what they mean to us and what Spring Hill means to us even now.”

“John and I are very excited to be part of honoring our parents and helping support Fr. Lucey and his vision to transform the College into what it deserves to be,” said Kevin Burke. “Spring Hill is a different place from what it was even three or four years ago. I forget how beautiful the campus really is.”

John and Kevin Burke said they chose to honor their parents at Spring Hill because it was their insight about the College and their encouragement to attend that led them here. John J. Burke, Sr. Esq. received his bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame and in 1938 earned his J.D. from Marquette University Law School. A prominent Milwaukee attorney, Burke founded the firm Burke & Shoetz and practiced there until his death in 1985. Margaret K. “Marnie” Burke was a homemaker who, with her husband, helped raise seven children—two girls and five boys. John Burke, Jr. recalled that his parents set high standards for himself and his siblings and taught them “the harder you work, the luckier you get.”

John Burke, Jr. graduated from Spring Hill College in 1963 and was elected to the Spring Hill College Board of Trustees in 1998. Having received his bachelor’s in commerce, he founded Burke Properties in 1968 and is currently the company's chairman and CEO. Burke has also been chairman for the National Center for Housing Management in Washington, D.C. since 1983. The non-profit organization was established by executive order of the president to help professionalize the field of housing management in the area of public and subsidized housing. In 2000, the Center was awarded the rights to train managers for base housing worldwide for the Navy and Air Force.

In 1996 Burke established a family foundation through which he’s donated millions of dollars to countless charitable organizations. His generous contribution established the John J. Burke Entrepreneurial Leadership Scholarship at Spring Hill. He and his wife, Murph, consistently support the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts and recently made a significant contribution to the Milwaukee Art Museum for its signature architectural element, the Burke Bris-Soleil. Murph also served as chair of the Wisconsin Arts Board, an arts advocacy organization funded by that state.

John Burke, Jr. is a member of several civic and charitable boards, including the Wisconsin Center District board of directors, the Great Circus Parade board of directors and the board of visitors of the Les Aspen Center for Government in Washington D.C. From 1995 to 2002, he was a member of the advisory board for the Cardiovascular Research Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin.

A 1966 graduate of Spring Hill College, Kevin Burke founded Burke Beverage, Inc. in 1979 and has since grown his business into one of Chicagoland’s largest Miller Brewing wholesale distributors. Later, Burke established River City Distributing in Louisville, Ky., and in 1998, he launched, and then later sold, Burke Beverage in Hayward, Calif. His successes in the distribution industry have led Kevin Burke consistently to be named among the nation’s top 20 distributors, and the International Beverage Network currently ranks him 14 among wholesalers. Kevin Burke is also a member of the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

Kevin and his wife, Mary Grace, have been major supporters of Wellness House in Hinsdale, Ill. and St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, as well as the Telluride Foundation in Telluride, Colo. where the Burkes have a second home. Kevin Burke is on the board of directors for United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Chicago and is a lifetime trustee of the Community House in Hinsdale. Mary Grace is currently serving as co-chair of the expansion campaign for Wellness House Chicago cancer respite center.

For more information on the Marnie & John Burke Memorial Library or for details on the College’s other capital improvement projects, please call the Office of the President at 251-380-3866 or visit www.shc.edu/planning.