Hugh Allan Burns ’52

Hugh died at home in Denver on June 10, 2001, after a 30-year struggle with chronic, progressive multiple sclerosis. He left an array of remarkable achievements and standards for us. At Princeton, he was in SPIA, Phi Beta Kappa, graduated with high honors, and was a Rhodes Scholar. After law degrees from Oxford and the U. of Chicago Law School, he joined the leading Denver firm of Dawson, Nagle, Sherman and Howard. He was an outstanding trial lawyer, by all accounts universally known for his skill and integrity. A former partner described him as "the generalissimo of big cases whose brilliance as a lawyer and mastery of crisis management were unparalleled." He was a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Hugh's interests seemed limitless, with his family and friends first, along with a passionate commitment to justice and fairness. Good humor and good will were fundamental parts of him, and the sheer joy of his laugh will always be with us.

The deepest sympathies of his classmates are extended to his wife, Beverly, his children, Laurel, Hugh Jr. (Huck), and Catherine, and his grandchildren, Nika, Genta, Lloyd, and Clay.

The Class of 1952