Rodger Burson

Rodger Burson passed away May 14, 2025, in Albuquerque, N.M. Born in Wichita, Kansas, he grew up in South Texas where the old missions influenced his study of architecture.

He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1953. Following graduation, he served for two years as an Officer in the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Rodger began his architecture career in Corpus Christi in 1955 with O'Neil Ford and Richard S. Colley. They received the commission for the Texas Instruments site in Dallas, Texas and Rodger was appointed as the supervising architect. The following year, he was chosen to oversee the construction of Texas Instruments' facility in Nice, France.

In 1965, Rodger and James Hendricks founded Burson and Hendricks Architects and he later formed Burson & Williams Architects with David Williams.

A preeminent architect in preservation, historic landmarks preserved by Rodger include the Texas School Book Depository, Belo Mansion, Texas Governor's Mansion, Cumberland Hill School, Tarrant County Courthouse, DeGolyer Estate, Santa Fe Hilton, The Wigwam Arizona, Continental Gin Complex and Galloways' Old Home Place.

His specialty in historic preservation and adaptive reuse began in 1971 when his firm restored the Cumberland Hill School, Dallas' second oldest schoolhouse, and transformed it into the headquarters for Bill Clements' offshore drilling company, SEDCO, Inc. The project won numerous awards and was published in the AIA journal.

In 1974, he agreed to serve as architect for the restoration of Texas historic buildings for the 1976 Dallas Bicentennial. He pioneered research in restoration of late nineteenth century architecture in Texas, trained craftsmen and searched the countryside for authentic buildings.

Rodger's firm was chosen to restore the Texas School Book Depository for the Commissioners Court. Archival records of his contributions to saving the building from demolition for future generations can be found in the Oral History Collection of the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealy Plaza.

He served on the Dallas County Historical Commission and the National Endowment for the Humanities Study Team for the Texas School Book Depository.

Rodger was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, FAIA, an honor that recognizes architects who make significant contributions to the profession.

Rodger leaves his wife Carolyn Burson whom he met while working on the Old City Park project. Together they enjoyed life for forty-six years sailing, traveling, talking, cooking, painting and laughing. They spent summers in New Mexico and several years in Wimberley and Austin, Texas.

Rodger leaves four children, Tom Burson (wife Gloria, and their daughters Sarah and Sophie Burson) Dr. Matthew Burson (wife Selah and their three daughters Ariel, Isabel and Kyrie) Leigh Healy (husband John and daughter Shannon) and Claire Watson-Laub (husband Stephen and sons Owen and Keaton) and two great grandchildren.

A military memorial service will be held in Santa Fe, N.M in June.