Necrology

Daniel W. Burke II '61

Dec. 18, 1938-Feb. 24, 2024

Daniel W. Burke II ’61, P’89,’91 died on Feb. 24, 2024, in Cleveland. Born in New York City on Dec. 18, 1938, he grew up in Summit and Short Hills, N.J., receiving his education first at the Pingry School (Short Hills) and then at Choate (Wallingford, Conn.), from which he came to the College.

On the Hill, he was a member of Chi Psi fraternity and majored in economics. Active on campus throughout his time at Hamilton, he played soccer during his first two years as well as hockey all four years and was elected team captain as a senior. He was a member of the Doers & Thinkers honor society as a sophomore, Was Los as a junior, Pentagon as a senior, and the Block “H” Club throughout his time at Hamilton. In his sophomore year, Dan joined the French Club and spoke the language conversationally the rest of his life.

In his admission application to Hamilton, Dan indicated he liked mechanics and “working with my hands,” an interest that would be foundational to his early career. In 1962, he was hired by the Lincoln Electric Co. in Cleveland as a field engineer, first assigned to its St. Louis district office. That same year, he married Susan Bicknell of Shaker Heights, Ohio, in the nearby town of Gates Mills. They had a daughter and two sons. 

In January 1963, Dan was drafted into the U.S. Army and served for two years, including at Fort Belvoir, Va., where he was an instructor. Upon being honorably discharged in January 1965, he returned to Lincoln Electric, residing for a period of time in Rockford, Ill. Subsequently, as he reported in his 50th reunion yearbook, he sold carbonated water for the Polar Beverage Co., which was owned by a second cousin. Thereafter, he returned to Lincoln Electric and worked as a welding engineer.

In 1974, he opened B&P Electric Co. in Cleveland, the first of his two businesses that repaired heavy industrial electric motors. Later, he founded the Burke Electric Co. in Gates Mills, which provided the same services. His interest in this sort of work dated from childhood when he spent summers at his grandparents’ home in Oxford, N.Y. Their gardener, Angelo Pena, not only introduced Dan to gardening but also to small engine repair. Later, he had a summer job with a construction company where he worked on tractors, bulldozers, and excavators.

By the end of the 1970s, Dan and Susan’s marriage had ended. On March 11, 1981, he married Pamela de Windt in Cleveland. Their blended family included six children, three of whom would graduate from Hamilton.

Dan’s business ventures continued to multiply. He created Burke Research in the 1990s, and among its innovations was the development of quite possibly one of the first over-the-counter digital hearing aids: the Songbird Hearing Aid. He also developed a voice-activated computer for the blind. 

Given the nature and breadth of his professional life, it is no small wonder, as he reported to the Hamilton Alumni Review in 2007, that he “failed retirement four times.” He did have other interests, including golf with scores in the 70s, playing hockey on a senior men’s team, woodworking, metal working, and electronics — all required “working with my hands” — as well as traveling and hosting family visitors. Pamela’s and his six children were scattered across the country from Boston to California to Florida, providing ample excuses for hitting the road.

Dan was devoted to Hamilton but wished (as is true of many alumni) that he had taken greater advantage of its educational opportunities. He reflected in his 50th reunion yearbook: “I have many memories but few concerning academics. … But while asleep in many classes, I rarely cut. Thus, I learned more from the critique of the exams than from most courses. This is a credit to a great faculty.” That great faculty included those who taught philosophy, history, English, and logic, as well as “Paul Parker, [who] opened my eyes to art, but I now wish I had taken music courses.”

He also supported the College through his philanthropy. He established the Daniel Burke Scholarship, named in honor of his grandfather, Daniel W. Burke, Class of 1879, to support students from New York State with priority given to those from the town of Oxford or from Chenango County. He was the steward of the Coleman Burke Prize Scholarship awarded to a sophomore who is both an outstanding student and a varsity athlete. He helped facilitate funding to support summer internships in the sciences for students who otherwise could not afford to have such pre-professional experiences. Furthermore, he donated to two capital campaigns — the 175th Anniversary Campaign and the Campaign for the ’90s — and to the hockey program, including the Prettyman-Greg Batt Fund.

Daniel W. Burke II was predeceased by his grandfather, Daniel Burke, Class of 1879; his father, Coleman Burke, Class of 1934; his brother Coleman P. Burke ’61; and his uncles James Burke ’24, P’54 and Henry Harding ’34, P’75. His sister, Hamilton trustee Mary “Missy” Burke Partridge, died on March 28, 2024. He is survived by his wife and children, including Jeffrey Burke ’89, Daniel Burke III ’91, and Betsy de Windt Steck ’94, and his sister. Among his other surviving relatives are two nieces, Sarah Burke ’93 and Caroline Horner ’95, and five cousins, Mahlon Stilwell, Class of 1937, Gil Burke ’54, Colie Harding ’75, Dan T. H. Nye ’88, P’24, John B.A. Nye ’87, and Margaret Belle Ling Nye ’24. Lastly, he is survived by eight grandchildren and one great-grandson.

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