Daniel Burke, UVM Class of 1950, long-time media executive, retired president and chief executive of ABC/Capital Cities, Inc., and a former chairman of the UVM Board of Trustees, died Oct. 26, at his home in Rye, N.Y. He was 82.
Burke, admired in the business world for his role in engineering one of the largest mergers in American corporate history, earned his B.A. in political science from UVM in 1950 and an M.B.A. from Harvard in 1955. He was a member of the UVM Board of Trustees from 1972 to 1978 and its chairman in 1977-1978, and served in many other volunteer capacities with the university over a period spanning more than three decades. He received an honorary doctorate from UVM at commencement in 1979 and was a recipient of the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service and Alumni Achievement awards.
“The UVM community was saddened to learn of Dan’s passing,” said Interim President John Bramley. “He was an outstanding business leader and a role model for generations of our students and alumni and gave generously of himself to his alma mater.”
A story summarizing his life and career appeared in Wednesday’s New York Times (registration required).