In Memorium - Scholar of Economic History
Kevin H. Burley
Prof. Kevin H. Burlev died Feb. 16 in Victoria, British Columbia at age 78. He had taught at Western as a professor of economics, specializing in economic history from 1966 until 1991 when he joined the University of Victoria's economics department as an adjunct professor.
Before beginning his academic career, Prof. Burley fought in southeast Asia for England during World War II and was later employed by the Home Branch of the British Civil Service. He was also a mountain guide in the Alps; during one of his tours, he met his wife, June.
Prof. Burley received his Baccalaureate in Arts from the University of London (the London School of Economics and Political Science) in 1953 and earned a Ph.D. from the same institution in 1957. He was a Research Fellow in the Department of Economics at the Australian National University from 1957 through 1960. In 1960, he became a lecturer in the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Birmingham.
In 1966, Prof. Burley joined the Economics Department at Western. He retired in 1986 but continued teaching in the department for another five years on a post-retirement contract. During his career, Burley published numerous articles, books, and book reviews, all on varied economic history topics. His best-known works were his articles and books utilizing historical accounting and other records to analyze the activities of eighteenth century clothiers, of the New South Wales Coal trade, international shipping, and occupational structure in London, Ontario, in 1871.
Colleagues from Western remember Prof. Burley as a diligent administrator who served on many departmental, faculty, and university committees. "He labored tirelessly to encourage the pursuit of both fairness and excellence, and was a formidable champion of the positions he favored on each issue," says Prof. John Palmer. Also, Prof. Burley was recognized as one of the top lecturers in the Economics department, consistently scoring high on the evaluations of his teaching. He always insisted that students work hard, analyze carefully, and write well.
Outside the university, Kevin Burle y was an active fundraiser for the Canadian Kidney Foundation. During the 1970s and I980s, he organized and led numerous different types of campaigns including bingos, door-to-door solicitations, and lotteries to raise money for the support of kidney research and help the victims of kidney disease.
Prof. Burley is survived by his wife June, who presently lives in Victoria, BC, and by their three children. Their son, Steven Burley, is a Rhodes Scholar graduate from UWO and a world-renowned biochemist. Son Christopher Burley received a master's degree in Business Administration from Western and is active in mergers and acquisitions in Canada. Daughter Justine Burley, a UWO graduate, continued her studies in law and philosophy at Oxford University and is now a highly regarded scholar in that field.
~ Reprinted from Western News Article, March 2, 2000 ~
