In Memoriam
John H. “Jock” Burbank
Jock Burbank
1960 Yale freshman photo
Jock died on July 10, 2020, in Healdsburg, CA. He matriculated with the Class of 1964 but attended Yale for only one semester. Jock’s former wife, Suzanne Kelley, explains:
Jock was not an early riser and with his 8:00am class he missed more than the allowed two cuts and was booted out of Yale accordingly. His father asserted he was thus on his own, and so he signed up with the Army for three years to learn Russian at the Presidio of Monterey (after which we married, Dec '62) and later translated intercepted Russian messages at the I.G. Farben building in Frankfurt, where we lived “on the economy.”
After simultaneously studying at Columbia (’68, Phi Beta Kappa) and teaching full-time at his old private school, Harvey, for four years, he returned to Yale in 1968 for his master’s in Slavic Languages and Literatures and worked for several years on his doctorate there, too.
The following obituary for Jock is followed by several tributes from faculty, staff, and friends from his grade-school alma mater, The Harvey School. Below those tributes is a remembrance by his Yale freshman roommate, Mike Sherwood ’64.
Obituary for John “Jock” Burbank Jr. ’56
Harvey Magazine
Winter 2021 issue
July 10, 2020
Jock in 2015
John “Jock” Howard Burbank Jr. was born March 3, 1942, in Providence, Rhode Island, and died at his home in Healdsburg, California, on July 10, 2020. He was predeceased by his parents, Dr. and Mrs. John H. Burbank (Mimi), and is survived by his two younger brothers, Michael Burbank of Waldoboro, Maine, and Stephen B. Burbank (Ellen) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Jock grew up in Bedford Village, New York, and attended The Harvey School (’56) in Hawthorne, New York, now in Katonah, and Phillips Exeter Academy (’60) in Exeter, New Hampshire. After a semester at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, he joined the Army, learning Russian at the Presidio of Monterey in Monterey, California, and later translating intercepted Russian messages in the I.G. Farben Building in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Upon his honorable discharge in 1964, Jock began his teaching career at Harvey full-time while attending Columbia University, School of General Studies (’68, Phi Beta Kappa), in New York, at night. After moving to New Haven, he received his master’s degree in Slavic languages and literature from Yale (’70), where he also became fluent in Czech.
Jock was a lauded scholar, a passionate linguist, and a beloved educator, teaching and serving in several distinguished administrative positions — from department head and assistant headmaster at The Harvey School to headmaster at Shady Side Academy Middle School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and finally at Wyoming Seminary Lower School in Forty Fort, Pennsylvania.
Jock relished good literature, especially Russian and Czech, and delighted in linguistically based humor — in puns, word games, and literal translations of foreign expressions and expletives. Among other articles and pieces that he had translated and written about from Czech and Russian, at the time of his death he had been writing a book for teachers about how to teach Dostoevsky to students. Live music, squash, ice hockey, football, and bocce were particular favorites of his, along with both good French and Italian food.
But most of all Jock cherished his four children, John H. Burbank III of San Francisco and Healdsburg, California, Elizabeth G. Burbank of New Haven, Connecticut, Michael G. Burbank (Chisti) of Woodstock, New York, and David G. Burbank of Healdsburg. He is also survived by his adored grandsons, Maxmillian Burbank and Samuel Burbank, Gray Burbank, nephew Peter Burbank, step-grandson Jonah Cohen, and his two former wives, Suzanne G. Kelley and Michelle G. Burbank, both of whom remained close friends with Jock until his death. A warm commemoration of Jock’s life will take place at a future time.
Tributes
“We are saddened by the news of the recent death of John “Jock” Burbank Jr., who was first a student at Harvey and later an esteemed member of the faculty. Jock taught at Harvey first in 1964–1968 when he and his wife, Suzy, lived in an apartment in the O’Malley dorm. He was a Fifth Form corridor master and taught English, history, and gym in the lower-school grades and coached varsity football. In 1975, Jock returned to Harvey to teach English and French as well as hold positions as chair of the modern languages department, director of admissions and financial aid, and associate headmaster, among others. Jock developed long-time friendships with fellow Harvey teachers and was especially close to Rose Baldwin and her family. On several of his visits to Harvey alumni functions in the past years, Jock shared that he considered his many years at Harvey a major part of his life and treasured his remembrances. Jock’s two brothers, Michael ’58 and Stephen ’60, are also Harvey alumni.” — Susie Danziger, Director of Development
“When I became assistant headmaster at Harvey, Jock Burbank was my mentor. He taught me to put the students first in any decision I made. Jock taught me to listen but to push toward resolution at the right time. He worked tirelessly, often into the late hours of the night. When I became an administrator, I was surprised how much work there was to do, but Jock’s selfless commitment to excellence in everything he did was a model for me. Aside from this, he was always approachable, kind, and sensible. He gave me the confidence to believe that I could succeed as an administrator. I really owe him everything. Jock was my friend, my colleague, and my teacher. I love him, and I feel his loss deeply.” — Jan Jacobi (faculty 1973–82)
“I was very sad to learn of Jock’s passing. He gave so much to Harvey and was very supportive of me as one of the first women administrators at Harvey. I am forever grateful.” — Cornelia (Skiff Readinger Carew) Jones (faculty 1982–87)
“As a French and Spanish teacher from 1978–85, I remember Jock fondly as my department chair and mentor. He was never in too much of a hurry to answer any questions I had, and he was quick to give praise when I did something well, like writing comments about my students at the end of each term. As Assistant Headmaster, he could be a tough disciplinarian to students when necessary, but he also had empathy for students who were struggling. In fact, it was often a contest between Jock and then Headmaster Harry Dawe as to which of them was going to be the ‘bleeding heart’ when one of the students had managed to get in trouble. At the start of my third year at Harvey, when my son, Scott Becker, was seeking admission to the fourth grade (First Form in those days), Jock invited both of us to an interview in the admissions office. He lit the fire in the fireplace and made us feel very much at ease. I remember thinking at the time that he was treating me as a parent of a prospective student and not as an employee in his department. My husband, Steve LaRue, and I considered Jock a good friend to both of us. He will be sorely missed.” — Sherry (Becker) LaRue (faculty 1978–85)
“I remember Jock on the Hawthorne campus as one of the two best hockey players ever. Jock was the best stick-handler, and Jim Robbins was the best skater on that wonderful old pond a stone’s throw from Smith House. Jock was also helpful at the Katonah campus during the years my son, Greg, was at Harvey in the early 80s. (Greg died eight years ago from T-cell lymphoma.) — Bruce Moss ’55
“Jock was a treasured classmate and a great friend while at Harvey, and we remained in contact throughout his life. After Harvey, right before I headed into the military, Jock and I hooked up in San Francisco and had a drive across the country that one day should be made into a movie. Every time we saw each other, we reminded each other about various parts of that journey. What I remember most about Jock was that he was solid through and through. I never saw him lose his temper, and he never got carried away. If he were a tree, he would be an oak. When I hear about old friends passing on, I am sad. But it also makes me realize that as we get older, always remember to stay in touch with old friends. You couldn’t ask for a better friend than Jock Burbank. Blessings to his family and all.” — Howdy Baldwin ’56
“Jock was the hero of our class (1956) and wonderful at everything he sought — affable, friendly, and a true leader for the school.” — Henry Smith-Miller ’56
“I remember Jock very well. The last time we met was at the ceremony for the Rose Baldwin Library. Jock and I had a nice conversation going over what we had been doing since our Harvey days. He was a fine person.” — Alexander McKown ’57
“Jock was a year ahead of me, and I knew him very well. In 1956, Harvey had an all-boys enrollment of just over 100, so you pretty much knew everybody. Alex McKown ’57 and I had him on the phone a few years back when we were renewing alumni ties. So, with his passing, I sort of feel like I lost a brother.” — Seth Morton ’57
“I am saddened by the news about Jock Burbank. He must have been about 22 when he came to Harvey — I think I was in the Fourth Form (12 years old). My main contact with him was in his role as basketball coach. I wasn’t much of a team-sport athlete, but he was a good enough coach to keep me engaged and improving. I always found him affable, kind, and helpful — a thoroughly decent man worthy of being well remembered.” — Robert Hard ’66
“Jock was at Harvey during my last year at the school. Years later, I shared an evening of drinks with him at my neighborhood bar in Cambridge while I was at Harvard. We bonded sharing stories of old times at Harvey. I’m sad to hear of his passing.” — Christopher (Colahan) Young ’66
Remembrance of Jock Burbank
by Mike Sherwood ’64
July 26, 2024
I roomed with Jock in 1130 Bingham for the first three months of our freshman year at Yale in 1960, before he dropped out. I had also known him at Exeter before Yale, and growing up when he lived in Bedford Village, New York State, a few miles over the New York border from where I lived in Stamford, CT.
I remember Jock as being physically and personally a solid person. He was smart, warm, friendly, and outgoing, with a wonderfully bawdy sense of humor. He loved to read and I remember that he was always reading some book in bed late into the night after I turned out my light to go to sleep. (As a consequence, he tended to sleep in late and miss classes, which may have had something to do with his early departure from Yale.) Always a bit of a non-conformist, he went his own way.
I lost contact with him since our Yale days together, and I had not heard about his death until recently. But I am not surprised to learn that he went on to the Monterey Language school to learn Russian and serve honorably in the Army as a translator, and that he eventually became a successful and beloved teacher and administrator at the Harvey School in Katona, New York.