School spirit 'icon,' Bob Burton, passes

When Bob Burton passed away from cancer on Saturday, January 13, at the age of 67, Fallbrook lost a citizen and an educator who not only made a tremendous positive impact on thousands of local youth but on students at hundreds of schools throughout the United States and Canada as a result of his speaking engagements. Known as the “icon” of school spirit, Burton served 30 years as the Director of Student Activities and Student Council Advisor at Fallbrook High School and authored two books, one of which is regarded as the premier handbook for student activities.

“Bob was the ‘Spirit of Fallbrook High;’ he created it, he fostered it by example, he promoted it and he shared it with others,” said Wayne Miller, trustee of Fallbrook Union High School District from 1977 to 1986. “In 1984 we were honored as an exemplary high school by the US Department of Education. This honor was due to outstanding contributions made by many individuals, including Bob Burton.”

Burton’s students say he prepared them for success.

“Mr. Burton taught me how to lead people; how to get people to do things, get involved in things and want to do it,” said Ron Sturzenegger, an investment banker and 1978 graduate of Fallbrook High School. “He made it fun; then, he taught me how to make it fun for others. I use that every day in my job and business. He was my mentor.”

Those unfamiliar with Fallbrook High School may have first heard Bob Burton’s name when, in October of 2000, the school district dedicated a new $5 million performing arts facility to him. The Bob Burton Center for the Performing Arts not only provides a quality classroom learning environment and professional theater but a popular venue for community events of all types.

“[The naming of the building] really meant a lot to him,” said Jim Hutcherson, former high school district trustee.

A fourth generation Californian, Burton was born June 23, 1939, in Stanford Hospital in San Francisco. His involvement in Boy Scouts as a youth was something Burton said he was most proud of, according to his wife of 40 years, Ann.

“He attained the rank of Eagle Scout and he told me he was very proud of that,” she said.

After graduating from Saint Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco in 1957 (2007 would be his 50th anniversary year), Burton attended University of California at Berkeley, where he played basketball his freshman year. A six-year stint in the United States Marine Corps Reserve during the Vietnam War interrupted Burton’s education briefly, but he quickly went on to finish his college degree in history and physical education at University of San Francisco in 1963 and his teaching credentials in 1964.

Fresh out of college, Burton secured a teaching and coaching job at Fallbrook High School in 1964.

“He was still putting in weekends in the Reserve,” Ann said. “He ended up achieving the rank of sergeant.”

Burton was hired to teach US history and coach the junior varsity boys basketball team. “His goal was to be a basketball coach,” Ann said. “When [then-superintendent] Jim McDonald hired him, he told him that Jack Sandschulte was going to retire soon and he would have the head coaching job. I think Jack finally retired in the ’90s!”

Ann [French] became Bob Burton’s wife on August 4, 1966. In the fall of 1966, Superintendent McDonald made Burton the Director of Student Activities, a job Ann says “he was born to do.”

Colleague Bill Shea met Burton in 1966 when Shea was hired on as a math teacher at Fallbrook High. “He was an inspiration to everyone he met,” said Shea. “The kids loved him; the faculty thought the world of him.”

Bob Burton was a man of spirit, energy and firsts. He helped start and taught in the Advanced Placement (AP) program at Fallbrook High; was Fallbrook High’s first cross country coach, first girls golf coach and first to create a student representative position on the FUHSD board; and was on the founding committee of the North County Academic League. He developed and implemented the FUHS Conflict Management Program in 1994, and during the program’s first two years it handled nearly 500 mediations. In recognition of his efforts, Burton and the Conflict Management Team at Fallbrook High were presented with the 1995 Peacemaker Award by the San Diego Mediation Center.

Current Fallbrook High ASB Director Josh Way was a part of Burton’s Conflict Management Team in 1996 as a senior at the high school.

“He had a great impact on me, in so many ways, as an educator and an ASB director,” Way said. “<After> he retired, he did a lot of work with other ASB directors, spreading the word of what he learned and developed at Fallbrook High. Despite all that work, being so busy with other schools, he was always only a phone call away for me.”

In June of 1996, California State Assembly Resolution #1081 commended Burton on “his illustrious record of accomplishments during his distinguished career in education.” His list of awards is numerous and distinguished, including being inducted into the California Activities Director’s (CADA) “Hall of Fame” (1988), California Activities Director of the Year (1989), the Warren Shull Award from the National Association of Student Councils and the Jack Moore Award by CADA (1990).

In 1981, Burton began a company called Spirit Works (www.spiritworks.com), through which he offered motivational seminars, school spirit ideas, games and activities.

Burton wrote two books, “Spirit Works... Turn it On!” and “99 Nuggets.” “Spirit Works” is a handbook for student activities with 100,000 copies in print and a fifth edition coming out soon. “99 Nuggets” contains the 99 most important lessons he says he learned during his career.

After his retirement, Burton focused on Spirit Works, traveling all over the United States and Canada speaking at leadership conferences. In addition, he continued to play a key role at the annual Fallbrook High Leadership Conference held prior to the beginning of each new school year.

“It’s all about making kids feel like they belong,” he penned on his Web site, describing his business. “It is important to develop ways for all students at their school to become involved and develop positive feelings about themselves and their school.”

One of the biggest challenges Bob Burton ever faced was the Gavilan Fire of 2002, a devastating inferno that burned 5,700 acres and destroyed 43 homes, one being his and Ann’s.

“He really struggled with that,” Ann acknowledged. “It was horrible.” The couple was one of the first to move forward and rebuild their home. They had the project completed within one year.

It is Burton’s spirit that will leave an imprint on Fallbrook for generations to come.

“The impact he made on people – the enthusiasm, the passion – will be his legacy,” Way said. “He dedicated himself to making school fun for every single student.”

“Bob was the spirit of Fallbrook High,” Miller said, “and because of the legacy he left behind, the Warrior spirit will live on.”

Bob Burton is survived by wife, Ann, Fallbrook; daughters and sons-in-law Nan and Fred Studer, San Francisco, and Amy and Stephen Forrest, Encinitas; son and daughter-in-law Christopher French (Kit) and Nancy Tu Burton, Austin, TX; and grandchildren Maxwell Burton Studer and Merrick Magnus Studer, San Francisco, Juliana Catherine Forrest and Delilah Jane Forrest, Encinitas, and Mimi Tu Burton and Annie Tu Burton, Austin, TX.

A “Homecoming” Memorial Celebration is scheduled for Saturday, January 27, at 2 p.m. at the Bob Burton Center for the Performing Arts, Fallbrook High School, 2234 South Stage Coach Lane, Fallbrook.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made in Burton’s name for a new Fallbrook Library. Contributions can be mailed to: Friends of the Fallbrook Library, 124 S. Mission Rd., Fallbrook, CA 92028.

The author would like to thank Tim Oder for his valuable assistance with this article.