Arthur Burks

Athens - Arthur Burks, retired Charter Member of the U.S. Government Environmental Protection Agency, passed away on Wednesday, January 4, 2012, in Athens, after a prolonged illness.
He was born in Shorter, Ala., to the parentage of Trusella Blanks and Jerry Burks, and was reared in the home of his grandparents, Tony and Mary Blanks. He enjoyed the love and support of a special aunt, Carrie Martin, and a cousin raised as a sibling, Dorothy Harrison. All preceded him in death.
He is survived by his wife, Johnnie Lay; daughter, Petula; loving cousins, Mrs. Marilyn J. Jones, of Atlanta, Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Mildred Blanch, of Talbotton, Mr. Abraham Blanch, of Decatur, and Mr. Herman (Evelyn) Scott, of Shorter, Ala.; sisters-in-law, Ms. Mary A. Lay, of Statham, and Mrs. Grace (Dave) Ragland, of Chattanooga, Tenn.; special niece, Cynthia Lay, of Chattanooga, Tenn.; niece, Candle Ragland, of Atlanta; nephew, Rave Ragland Jr., of Nashville, Tenn., and a host of relatives and friends.
Arthur attended the Macon County Public Schools and graduated from Prairie Farms High School, Shorter, Ala., and moved to Atlanta with his late uncle, Abraham (Carlotta) Blanch, to continue his education at Morris Brown College. Arthur's college career was interrupted by the U.S. Selective Service, and he served his country with honors during the Korean Conflict.
Arthur returned to Morris Brown College after completing his military obligation, completed the Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology, and was initiated into the Zeta Chapter of the Phi beta Sigma Fraternity. He did further study in Educational Psychology at Atlanta University, and earned Soil Science Certification at the University of Georgia.
He began his career with the U.S. Government's Public Health Services Bureau of State Services (Division of Supply & Polution Control, Pesticide Polution Studies) in Atlanta. With this appointment, his trailblazing career in Federal Service began. He was the first African American to be employed with the agency, where he persevered and was well respected by his colleagues.
In the early 1960s, Arthur transferred with the agency to its Bailey Road Laboratory, in Athens, to continue his work in soil chemistry, and made Athens his home for over 40 years. He received many awards and promotions, and was a distinguished member of the U.S. Government's Environmental Protection Agency's Charter Club. He was a ribbon cutter on November 5, 1997, at the dedication of the Region Four Science & Ecosystem Technology Center Building on College Station Road, in Athens. He belonged to the Soil Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy.
Arthur invested in the communities he resided in and gave many hours of volunteer service. He organized and coached a championship boy's basketball team at his home church, Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, in Atlanta, and was very proud when his pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., purchased the team's uniforms and could be seen in the stands, cheering, when they played. He later coached several championship youth boys basketball teams for the Athens Recreation Department in the 1970s, and received certificates for dedicated volunteer service from the late Athens mayor, Julius Bishop. Arthur was also a volunteer tutor for the Ebenezer Baptist Church West - Clarke Middle School Tutorial Program in the 1980s, and used his prestige to recruit many of his fellow EPA scientists.
Arthur continued his pioneering ways in his personal life, and in the mid-1960s, built the first house in the Jones Swanson Subdivision, Timothy Road, Athens, for his family. He was a dedicated Sunday School teacher and student, and was a member of the Lillie Bell Usher Board at Historic Ebenezer, Atlanta, and served as president of the Senior Usher Board at Ebenezer Baptist Church West, Athens, for years.
Celebration of life services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 7, at Ebenezer Baptist Church West, 205 North Chase Street, Athens, with Dr. W. M. Hope as Pastor. The remains will lie in state from 10 a.m. until the hour of the service. Interment will take place at Evergreen Memorial Park, 3655 Atlanta Highway, Athens. The family will receive friends 6-8 p.m. Friday, January 6, with the Precious Memory Period at 7 p.m.
Jackson-McWhorter Funeral Home
1253 W. Broad St.
Athens, GA 30606
(706) 543-3623
www.jacksonmcwhorterfuneralhome.com