Marty Burke '70
Three thousand miles and 50 years didn’t dampen the fond feelings that Marty Burke ’70 had for his alma mater. Earlier this year, in failing health and knowing that time was short, he asked his wife, Pamela Sellers, to do what she could to support the Prep after his passing. Honoring his wishes after his passing, she has established a scholarship to support a student who, like Marty, has the academic ability to attend the Prep, but would need help with tuition.
“Marty was the second of seven children,” Sellers says, “and he always said that while his family wasn’t poor, there wasn’t a lot of money to go around, either. He earned a scholarship, and without that he would not have been able to attend the Prep. He was grateful for the opportunity.”
Marty certainly made the most of his opportunity. After an outstanding academic career at the Prep, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania before attending Villanova University School of Law. He settled into a long career as an administrative judge at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, first in Philadelphia and then in Los Angeles, where, as Pam pointed out with a laugh, “he agreed to stay as long as he could complain about it every day. Which he did.”
Recently, Pam was looking through some of Marty’s papers and found a lot of material from the Prep. “When I saw the Prep’s motto, ‘Men for Others,’ I thought that really summed Marty up well,” she says. “He was so generous and always thought about how he could help others.”
“Uncle” Marty was beloved by his nieces and nephews, to whom he gave generously. He also asked Pam to support many other institutions and organizations after his passing. However, she says the Prep was at the top of his list.
“He loved the Prep and thought it was the best part of his education,” Sellers says. “The fact that he went to the Prep helped him get into Penn with a scholarship. A Jesuit education, like the one that Marty got at the Prep, is a very valuable thing.”
Burke and Sellers married later in life and had no children but, “we both valued our Catholic education, both the academics and the principles that were instilled in us,” Sellers says. “We wanted to pass that along to kids who would not otherwise have the opportunities that we did. That was important to both of us.”
Therefore, the scholarship at the Prep will support a student from South Jersey, like Marty, who has the academic ability but not the financial resources to attend the Prep. “It meant so much to him, and he wanted to give someone else the opportunity he had,” Sellers says.
Back
“Marty was the second of seven children,” Sellers says, “and he always said that while his family wasn’t poor, there wasn’t a lot of money to go around, either. He earned a scholarship, and without that he would not have been able to attend the Prep. He was grateful for the opportunity.”
Marty certainly made the most of his opportunity. After an outstanding academic career at the Prep, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania before attending Villanova University School of Law. He settled into a long career as an administrative judge at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, first in Philadelphia and then in Los Angeles, where, as Pam pointed out with a laugh, “he agreed to stay as long as he could complain about it every day. Which he did.”
Recently, Pam was looking through some of Marty’s papers and found a lot of material from the Prep. “When I saw the Prep’s motto, ‘Men for Others,’ I thought that really summed Marty up well,” she says. “He was so generous and always thought about how he could help others.”
“Uncle” Marty was beloved by his nieces and nephews, to whom he gave generously. He also asked Pam to support many other institutions and organizations after his passing. However, she says the Prep was at the top of his list.
“He loved the Prep and thought it was the best part of his education,” Sellers says. “The fact that he went to the Prep helped him get into Penn with a scholarship. A Jesuit education, like the one that Marty got at the Prep, is a very valuable thing.”
Burke and Sellers married later in life and had no children but, “we both valued our Catholic education, both the academics and the principles that were instilled in us,” Sellers says. “We wanted to pass that along to kids who would not otherwise have the opportunities that we did. That was important to both of us.”
Therefore, the scholarship at the Prep will support a student from South Jersey, like Marty, who has the academic ability but not the financial resources to attend the Prep. “It meant so much to him, and he wanted to give someone else the opportunity he had,” Sellers says.
Address
Resources
© Copyright 2020 St. Joseph’s Preparatory School. All Rights Reserved.