Nelson R. Burr ’27

Dr, Nelson R. "Nellie" Burr, our class historian, died Jan. 10, 1994, in West Hartford, Conn. He came to us from Hartford H.S., won a Phi Beta Kappa in history, and was a member of Clio Hall. After graduation, he obtained an M.A. in history at Princeton Graduate School and taught English history for several years at N.Y.U. In 1934, he returned to the school and earned a Ph.D. in history. His thesis, entitled "Education in N.J." was published in 1942 by the Princeton Univ. Press.

That same year, he joined the staff of the Library of Congress in Washington, working in its Office of Exhibits. On the side, he wrote A HISTORY OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE U.S. and A CRITICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RELIGION IN AMERICA (whose two volumes were published by the Princeton Univ. Press in 1961) and numerous other historical articles.

Retiring in 1968, he moved to West Hartford, becoming a trustee of the Noah Webster Foundation and town historian, and writing articles for historical magazines on Connecticut history.

His monumental services to our class include its 20 YEAR RECORD (1947), 35 YEAR RECORD (1962), and 60 YEAR UPDATE (1987). He also served as class secretary until 1992.

A lifelong bachelor, Nellie left no immediate survivors. A plaque commemorating his services hangs in the Class of 1927 dormitory on the campus.

The Class of 1927