James L. Burke

James L. Burke, the Chairman of the Burke Automotive Group of Bakersfield and a prominent local philanthropist and civic leader, died Monday surrounded by family and friends at his home in Bakersfield, California. He was 80 years old. Mr. Burke had battled numerous health problems in recent years but his magnificent heart eventually succumbed to congestive heart failure. Since 1949, Mr. Burke had been associated with the automobile business in Bakersfield, guiding Jim Burke Ford to become the third largest dealership in California with nearly 400 employees and sales in excess of $150 million. Mr. Burke was known as much for his business prowess as his philanthropic activities, and his lifelong goal was to improve the quality of life in Bakersfield. Mr. Burke began his automotive career in the Parts Department at what was then known as Haberfelde Ford, which had been founded in Bakersfield in 1913. At the age of 32 he become the General Manager, and in 1964 he joined the Haberfelde family as a partner. By 1977 Mr. Burke had purchased the remaining family interest and the dealership was moved to its present location on Oak Street with the name changed to Jim Burke Ford. Mr. Burke's customers benefited from his drive and passion for the business. His reputation for outstanding customer service is well known, and earned him Ford Motor Company's most prestigious recognition, the Chairman's Award, for seven consecutive years from 1987 – 1993. In 1982, at a time when Ford was plagued by quality concerns and on the verge of bankruptcy, Mr. Burke served as Chairman of the Ford National Dealer Council, helping Ford to address their vehicle quality and customer relations concerns head-on. These major improvements were branded by Ford as the "Quality Care" program and became a major turning point for the company. Outside of his responsibilities at the dealership Mr. Burke was a passionate advocate for advancing the causes of health, education and opportunities for youth to excel. His philanthropic and community activities were too numerous to list, but two organizations that he was proud to be a part of were the Ford Dimension and the Friends of Mercy Foundation. In the mid 1970's Mr. Burke recognized a need for improving the reputation of the business community in the eyes of America's youth. This led to the founding of the "Ford Dimension," a program that allowed a small group of achieving local high school seniors to take an inside look at his businesses, meet with local civic leaders and volunteer their time helping others. The program is in its 33rd year, and has over 400 alumni. In 1994, as a gift to Jim Burke the alumni established the Jim Burke Education Foundation so as to continue his vision of "service over self" and contribute to the educational support of others. Mr. Burke's other contributions to the community over the last thirty-five years have been strongly influenced by the Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic religious order that works to meet the special needs of others. Specific projects include the building of Madison Place, a model for sustainable low-income housing, and serving as a Founding Director of the Friends of Mercy Foundation which works to meet the health care needs of the community. James Langdon Burke was born on August 1st, 1925 at San Joaquin Hospital in Bakersfield, the third generation of one of the founding families of Kern County. His great-grandfather came to California from County Mayo, Ireland in 1864 and was a prosperous landowner in the foothills of Greenhorn Mountain. Mr. Burke grew up on the Standard Oil Lease and after graduating from Kern County Union High School in 1943 he spent a year at Stanford University before joining the Navy. After training at Texas A&M and Annapolis he served on the Admiral's staff aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway as a Radio Man 3rd Class. He was with the Admiral's staff aboard the USS New Mexico in Tokyo Bay, Japan when the peace treaty was signed in 1946. After the war he returned to Stanford, graduating with a degree in Industrial Engineering in 1948. Mr. Burke is survived by his wife Bebe whom he married in 1950, his daughter Michele (Mikie) Hay, son-in-law Dan Hay, grandchildren Joe Hay, John Hay, George Hay and Kristen Hay, all of Bakersfield, as well as his sister Sally Rainey of Bakersfield and several nieces, nephews and cousins. A Memorial Mass celebrating Mr. Burke's life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 25th at Saint Francis Church, 900 "H" Street in Bakersfield. Father Craig Harrison will officiate. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Jim Burke Education Foundation at P.O. Box 2686, Bakersfield CA 93303. Honorary Pallbearers include Steve Clifford, John Etcheverry, Ray Dezember, Lloyd Plank, Ben Stinson, John Wallace, Frank Parr, Don Camp, Ed Vetter and Joe Pickering. The Burke Automotive Companies both Downtown and at the Automall will be closed on Tuesday, July 25th so that the employee family may honor Mr. Burke, their leader for 57 years. Customers who may require special arrangements should call 661-328-3600 (Downtown) or 661-837-6400 (Automall) for assistance. The family wishes to express their gratitude to Dr. Tommy Lee and his staff, Yolanda Arrington, Christina Gonzales, Natasha Lee, Juana Ruelas, Naomi Lopez and Maria Velasquez for their compassion and care of Jim Burke. Jim Burke 1925 - 2006