Paul F. Burke Jr.

1944 - 2018

Paul Frederic Burke, Jr. of Brewster, MA passed away on April 10, 2018 following a long illness. Paul was born in Arlington, MA to Dorothy and Paul Burke, Sr. on February 11, 1944. He received his BA, MA, and PhD from Stanford University. He met his loving wife, Barbara, in Rome, Italy, while they were both studying abroad; they married in 1969. As a professor in the Foreign Languages department at Clark University, he taught courses on art and archaeology, ancient history, early Christianity, and the Latin and Classical Greek languages for 38 years. He founded an interdepartmental program and major in Ancient Civilizations and regularly taught courses for the Clark European Center in Luxembourg. He also led summer programs in Southern Italy for the Vergilian Society and served as that groups president. He and Barbara lived in Rome for several years, supported by grants from the American Academy in Rome and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Paul enjoyed travel but he especially loved returning to Cape Cod, where his family visited or lived in Brewster since the 1940s. He attended Camp Monomoy as a camper and worked for several years as a counselor. For many years he sailed a wooden catboat in Cape Cod Bay, making trips to the wreck of the old target ship off Eastham or to Quivet Creek. He also enjoyed kayaking and built several beautiful wooden kayaks. Paul was predeceased by his parents and by his brother, Peter. He is survived by his sister, Judith; niece, Suzanne; and by his wife, Barbara. He was a devoted father to Sarah Burke Cahalan, of Ohio, and took great joy in the arrival of his grandchildren, Alice, Paul, and Catherine Barbara. A private burial will be held at a later date.