Vera Harriet Burk

Vera Faurot Burk

Vera Harriet Faurot Burk, 94, was born December 6, 1914 in St Joseph, MO, the seventh of eight children of Fredrick Winslow and Charlotte Burrows Faurot. She passed away peacefully at Northeast Regional Medical Center in Kirksville on Wednesday, August 5, 2009.

Vera was a graduate of Mountain Grove (MO) High School and the University of Missouri where she received a B.S. in Education in 1936 with double majors in French and Social Studies. She was also a member of Phi Beta Phi Sorority at the University.

She married Samuel Arthur Burk of Kirksville on August 22, 1937 in Prince Georges County, Virginia. They resided in the Washington, D.C. area where she worked as head buyer, Better Dresses Department, Frank R. Jellef’s Department Store from 1938 until 1942, and the Office of War Information, Coded Messages Division, from 1944 to 1945.

In 1947, they moved to Kirksville and together, in partnership with U.S. Representative Watt Arnold, they founded Radio Station KIRX and later, FM Station KRXL. They also started radio stations in Trenton, MO, Washington, IA, and Nebraska City, NE.

Vera was a member, Past Deaconess and member of the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church of Kirksville, 1986-1988 and 1992-1994.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and all seven brothers and sisters: Charlotte Bunker, New Jersey; Donald B. Faurot of Columbia, MO; Pauline Fuerst of Rolla, MO; F.W. (Fritz) Faurot of Columbia, MO; Lucile Fuerst of Baxter Springs, KS; Jay Lyle Faurot of Quincy, IL; and Maj. Robert W. Faurot, U.S. Army Air Corps, who was killed in action in WWII.

She is survived by three daughters, Charlotte Burk Simons and husband Allan of Green Valley, AZ; Stephanie Burk Willett and husband Harry, and Mary Burk Laird and husband Stephen, all of Kirksville. She is also survived by grandchildren David M. Forsythe, S. Burk Forsythe, C. Kristen Howlett, James F. Forsythe, Jacqueline B. Laird and Rebecca A. Laird, and 6 great-grandchildren.

Vera was involved in the community of Kirksville, with memberships in many organizations and boards, including:

Travelers Community Theater, Patron; Quota Club International, Kirksville, MO (Charter member); Kirksville-Adair County League of Women Voters, Past President; P.E.O. Chapter CW: Missouri Library Association, Board of Trustees and Citizens Division Secretary; Regional Council of the Arts and Missouri Citizens for the Arts; United Nations Association/U.S.A.; Education Commission of the United States.

Sojourner’s Library Board, Chairman 1965-1968; Kirksville Planning & Zoning Commission; Adair County United Fund, Founding Secretary; Nancy Reed Fugate Fund, City of Kirksville, Trustee, Secretary-Treasurer; City Parent -Teachers Association Council; Friends of the Libraries of the University of Missouri and State Historical Society, President; Adair County Board of the American Red Cross.

Adair County Child Welfare Advisory Board; Kirksville Civic Music, Inc. 1948 until assumed by NMSU Lyceum Program; State Historical Society of Missouri; Red Barn Community Arts League, Advisory Board; Northeast Missouri Home Health Agency; Board of Visitors, Adair County Jail; Missouri State Committee for the Humanities, Vice-President.

Mayor’s Committee on Community Relations, Secretary; Thousand Hills Community Center, Finance Chairman; Kirksville Area Chamber of Commerce; Kirksville Industrial Development Corporation, vice-president; White House Conference on Children & Youth (Missouri Committee); League of Women Voters of Missouri, Vice-President, Education Chairman;

Retired Senior Volunteer Service Program Board; Adair County YMCA Board; Finance Committee; Adair County Chapter Mizzou Alumni Association Board.

Vera received awards and honors for her dedication to her community, including Kirksville Outstanding Adult Civic Leader Award by Community Betterment Council, 1979; Award of Merit, League of Women Voters of the USA, 1980; Kirksville Area Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame, 1988; Governor’s Leadership Award – Missouri Community Betterment Council, 1988; Union Electric Company Award for Distinguished Service to the Performing Arts in Kirksville, 1987; Kirksville City Council Proclamation for Outstanding Personal and Professional Service to the Community ,1985; Continuous Support Award, The Adair County Soil and Water Conservation District, 1988; University of Missouri-Columbia Faculty-Alumni Award, 1995; United Way of Adair County Hall of Fame Award, 2008; A.T. Still University Spirit Award, 2009.

A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, August 10, at the First Presbyterian Church in Kirksville. Memorials may be sent to the Samuel Burk Scholarship Fund at either Truman State University or the University of Missouri-Columbia.