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OPINIONS
Carl E. Lowe II: Huntington area, the VA lose a good one
The Huntington area and the Department of Veterans Affairs lost a true champion for veterans and their dependents when Larry Burks passed away recently.
Larry Rush Burks began his career as a file clerk at the VA Regional Office in Huntington and rose through the ranks to the level of rating specialist before moving on. Early in his career, Larry became one of the best and most respected rating specialists in the VA organization. He greatly enjoyed finding ways to grant additional VA benefits or higher evaluations for veterans -- even after he had advanced into the management ranks within VA.
Subsequently, Larry served as the assistant director at the VA Regional Office in Waco, Texas, for many years. He went on to become the director at the VA Regional Offices in Muskogee, Okla., and in Atlanta, prior to his retirement in 2008.
In addition to his enduring love for his wife Pam and their two dogs (Pepper and Oscar), Larry had a few other passions. He loved playing golf; following the progress of his Marshall University Thundering Herd; the Cincinnati Reds; enjoying cheese enchiladas from the El Conquistador Restaurant; and the Cleveland Browns (although he had to tone down his enthusiasm for the Browns, due to their recent lack of success).
Larry was well loved and respected by his VA family. Pam received messages of condolence from Adm. Patrick W. Dunne, VA's under secretary for benefits; and from VA's entire senior leadership in Washington, D.C., as well as from all four current area directors for the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA); and from VBA's entire corps of 57 directors of VA Regional Offices throughout America.
Larry and Pam Burks have represented the epitome of professionalism, dedication and conscientious caring, as they were willingly mobile in serving veterans and their families in multiple locations within the VA organization. Larry served with exceptional effectiveness at the following VA Regional Offices during his career -- Huntington; Milwaukee; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Houston; Pittsburgh; Waco; Muskogee, Okla.; and Atlanta. Also, he made outstanding contributions while serving at VA's Central Office in Washington, D.C.
Larry used to think that the reason he had moved around so much during his VA career was because he was a highly sought-after leader in the organization. But in reality, it was because Pam was such an excellent shortstop on the co-ed softball teams that each station fielded.
As a VA Regional Office director, although Larry Burks had large numbers of people employed within his stewardship, he was well known for affably greeting individual employees by name and being genuinely interested in their well-being and career success. At the same time, he vigorously created innovations that meant better service to veterans.
Upon his retirement, Larry and Pam returned to Waco to be near their local friends and "family," including his golfing cronies. As a special tribute to Larry at the time of his passing, about 15 of his golfing buddies wore "We Are Marshall" T-shirts to symbolize their deep affinity for him, even though they weren't alumni of Marshall University.
Larry will be sorely missed for a long time, in part because of his good-natured humor and remarkable wit. By now, I am sure that Larry has already hooked up with his former mentor during his early service in VA -- Jimmy Bieterman -- in a much better place than this world.
Carl E. Lowe II is director of the VA's Waco Regional Office in Texas.
