Samuel A. Burns II ’46
SAM, ONE OF OUR STALWARTS, died may 1, 1991, in Vero Beach, Fla., of complications from cancer.
He was born in Harrisburg, Penn., and attended Mercersburg Academy before joining us. Leaving for wartime service as one of the youngest pilots in the Navy, he returned to graduate summa cum laude in economics. He received an MA. in English literature from Stetson Univ. Sam's dub was Cannon and he roomed with "0. S." Nichols, Max Keith, and Ed Adams.
Before moving to Florida, Sam was V.P. of Burns and Co., a familyowned business in Harrisburg. He resigned after 17 years to pursue a teaching career at Vero Beach Senior High School. In 1986, Sam received the Outstanding Teacher Award from the Univ. of Chicago. It is awarded to "a teacher who really made a differencesomeone who introduced new vistas and realms of discovery, made serious intellectual demands for the first time, and knew how to channel a student's private interests into avenues for personal growth.,,
In 1979 he and his wife, Lori, joined the "Alliance for the Arts," a group of local citizens interested in promoting the arts in Vero Beach. He served as a member of the board of directors, was a member of the founding committee for the first annual children's art festival, and formed the Humanities Alliance CLub of Vero Beach High School.
We remember Sam as a warm and gentle man. His influence on thousands of students was profound. Their lives are living monuments to him. To Lori, son Dana, and daughters Randall and Carole, we extend our deepest sympathy.
The Class of 1946
Paw in print
March 2026
Mascots across generations; biome breakthroughs; international students make new plans.
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Pamela Baxter Renner
1 Month AgoEveryone’s Favorite
Of all the teachers I ever had, Mr. Burns influenced me more than all the others put together. He taught me to recognize the nuances of artists style in a way that still shocks me today as I can instinctively identify the artist from seeing a work of art. It’s just uncanny — like he taught me a secret language of lines, colors, subject, and landscapes. A code. I really don’t know how he did it. He wore an ascot, wore tweed plaid jackets, and had a beautiful mysteriously wonderful wife who stopped by class every so often. She had black hair and always beautiful dressed. I imagined they traveled the world and had first hand knowledge of all the places he talked about in humanities class. I recently was in Munich for a reunion of sorts and several attendees were VBHS alumni. Walking the streets of Munich found us talking about school memories and of course Mr. Burns. Several of us had had him and the ones that didn’t couldn’t believe the stories about him as they flowed. He was everyone’s favorite and I’ve thought about him a million times. I so regret not reaching out to tell him how much I learned from him and how much he influenced me in so many ways. Rest easy, Mr. Burns, and thank you!