Ambrose Burke
Ambrose J. Burke | |
|---|---|
Saint Ambrose University |
Saint Ambrose University (then Saint Ambrose College) from 1940 through 1956. A native of Iowa, he attended the college's high school program, and then the college itself, but was expelled from the seminary for a year and a half by the school's administrator for planning an evening of carousing. He eventually acquired a master's degree and a doctorate in English from Yale University
and returned to St. Ambrose in 1921 as an instructor. He was appointed the school's president in 1940 and served for sixteen years, then the longest tenure of any St. Ambrose president. He worked as a pastor and a chaplain for many decades after and remained active until shortly before his death in October 1998, at the age of 102.
Early life
Burke was born November 27, 1895, in
Career at St. Ambrose
Burke had also obtained his
Bishop of the Diocese of Davenport,[2] replacing Carl Meinberg after the latter's retirement. Although he claimed original that he did not want the job, as he would have preferred to continue teaching instead, he served in this capacity for sixteen years, the longest tenure in the post until Edward Rogalski's.[3] During his presidency a library, an administrative building (McMullen Hall), and the Christ the King Chapel were constructed and enrollment reached a then-peak of over 1500 students. During this time he also hosted a three-part series on NBC's Catholic Hour entitled Sainthood, the Universal Vocation. He left the school in 1956 after accepting a position as pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church.[1][2][3]
Later life
Burke remained at St. Mary's until 1973, when he reached his mandatory retirement, and then served for over a decade as chaplain at the city's Mercy Hospital. Although he was officially retired by 1986,[1][2] he remained active into his late 90s and continued to attend conventions on Catholicism in Clinton.[4] For his 100th birthday he celebrated a public mass in Clinton and attended a party the following day at St. Ambrose.[2] He died on October 6, 1998, at the age of 102, in Clinton and was buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Davenport.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Msgr. Ambrose Burke". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa: Lee Enterprises. 1998-10-09.
- ^ Saint Ambrose University: 17. Archived from the original(PDF) on April 12, 2006. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
- ^ Saint Ambrose University. 2007. Archivedfrom the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
- ^ "Catholics share concerns". The Daily Reporter. Spencer, Iowa. 1993-05-22. p. 3. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
