Jeff Burke ('80) writes: Once a struggling middle school student, I hit my stride as a first-year student at Hastings College. I have vivid memories of joining my English professors for a trip to Red Cloud, Nebraska to celebrate Willa Cather Day. I decided to major in Secondary English Education. I recall having invigorating discussions about Cather and Tolstoy novels in class. One highlight I still look back on is the day Professor Sara Jane Gardner returned our research papers and I discovered much to my excitement that I had earned an “A.” I also have fond memories of taking classes with Darrel Lloyd, Dwight Marsh and Robert Harwick.
I served as the public address announcer for all of the Bronco home football games during my time at Hastings College. I loved sitting in the press box and calling the games. I only missed one home football game in four years! Although I was a bit scrawny in high school, I was co-captain of our intramural flag football team at Hastings College. During my senior year, we finished in first place during the regular season with a record of 7-1.
My time at Hastings College opened doors for me to spend two years overseas teaching English at Ramses College for Girls, a private Egyptian school in Cairo, Egypt. I was inspired to have this African sojourn because three of my closest friends at Hastings College vowed to live abroad for at least a year after graduation. I eventually completed a Ph.D. at McGill University in Montreal, had two wonderful children, Tristan and Amelia, and finally landed in Virginia, where I worked as a college professor. Drawing upon my English major experiences, I emphasized four important priorities to my students: keep improving your writing skills, consider spending a semester or year abroad during your undergraduate years, study an unusual foreign language, and read widely outside of your assigned texts.
My wife, Beth, an attorney, got a job opportunity in New Jersey, so we moved north from Virginia in 2012. I soon found work as a personal/instructional aide at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Rockaway, New Jersey, where I discovered a previously unknown gift for working with special needs students. We take diamonds in the rough in the general education and special needs populations, and figure out how to unlock their full potential before they head off to high school.
My training in research and writing at Hastings College has been of tremendous help to me in pursuing my lifelong passion for coin collecting. I started collecting coins at the age of ten in 1968. Writing numismatic articles for publication is my avocation. It is a fun way for me to give back to the hobby!
Born and raised in Hastings, Nebraska, I trace my love of reading and libraries to my parents, Julius and Sandra, who were avid readers. They kept plenty of books and magazines at their children’s fingertips. They also were community supporters of the Hastings Public Library, and took my siblings and me on weekly trips to check out books.
Hastings College is an ideal place to bloom as a student. It is a warm and inviting school. You will have outstanding professors and make lifelong friends.