Brian Burke ’14, Jay Burke P’84 ’87 ’91 ’94, John Burke ’84 P’07 ’14, Kevin Burke ’94, John Burke ’07, and Paul Burke ’87
THE BURKE FAMILY By Jay Burke P’84 ’87 ’91 ’94 Our family’s Xavier journey began in 1980. I remember that my wife, Alice Burke P’84 ’87 ’91 ’94, and I were concerned about our son, John Burke ’84 P’07 ’14, traveling into Manhattan from Brooklyn, but he—and we—liked what we saw and heard at the Open House. John loved his Xavier experience, playing football and rugby. By his senior year, his brother Paul Burke ’87 was a freshman. Paul played football and rugby as well, and he went on a rugby trip to Hawaii as a sophomore. (Sending a 15-year-old to Hawaii! Boy, did we loosen up.) He was on Xavier’s first national championship rugby team alongside Mike Tolkin ’85. Our son, Matthew Burke ’91†, continued the Xavier tradition. He, too, played rugby, and he was the quarterback of the freshman football championship team coached by his brother John, then a senior at Fordham. Matt was easygoing and loved by all. Kevin Burke ’94 came next, playing basketball, track, and rugby. (In 2001, our son-in-law Ian McDonald ’88 joined the family Matthew Burke ’91† when he married our daughter, Annmarie.) All the while, Alice and I were involved parents. We volunteered with the “bingo parents” for fundraising duties and attended potluck dinners, athletic awards, and school plays. There was a great rapport among the parent body. And after 35 years in New York City high
schools, I joined the Xavier faculty in 1996. I served as an English teacher, football coach, and eventually assistant headmaster. Our wonderful lives came crashing down on September 11, 2001, when Matt—at work in his office at Cantor Fitzgerald, on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center—was murdered. It remains the worst day of our lives. But the love and support we received from the Xavier community helped us through the worst of times—from Margaret Gonzalez singing “Red is the Rose” at Matt’s memorial to the 12 priests, mostly Jesuits, who helped us celebrate his life. We remember Matt each year with an award at Xavier’s graduation and a scholarship in his name. Years later, when our Breezy Point home was destroyed in Superstorm Sandy, we felt “the word made flesh” once again as Xavier students, parents, and alumni showed an outpouring of support. Xavier is truly a community for others, as generations of my family now know. I finished my time as assistant headmaster in 2003—when one of my grandsons, John Burke ’07, arrived on 16th Street. He continued the football and rugby tradition and went on to Xavier University. Brian Burke ’14 came next, playing the same sports as his brother and father. He is a senior at Loyola University Chicago. Xavier has provided us all with a true education in the Catholic and moral tradition. We are grateful.
XAVIER MAGAZINE 17