Burk, Carl John (December 30, 1935-July 1, 2022)

Abstract

Carl John Burk (C. John Burk) joined the Department of Botany at Smith in 1961 and retired as the Elise Damon Simonds Professor in 2009. His wife, Lâle Aka Burk graduated from Smith College in 1964 with a Master’s degree in Chemistry, and she later returned to teach in the department of Chemistry from 1968 to 2013. This collection contains the records of C. John Burk and Lâle Burk, primarily relating to their roles as academic scholars and as faculty members at Smith College.

Scope and Contents From the Collection:

The box contains the coursework of students in ENV 201/202 in 2013 and 2014 created for their project collecting interview evidence. The collection contains CDs, DVDs, and flash drives containing the interviews, transcripts, and student papers reflecting on the experience. The interviewees are all in the field of environmental science, including Smith professors and local environmental activists.

Scope and Contents Oral history of C. John Burk, professor of Botany, conducted by Kelly Anderson, oral historian. Includes video recording and transcript. In this interview, Burk reflects on his education, his career at Smith, and on his research interests. Burk shares his keen observations about the evolution of the sciences at Smith, the changes over time to the Botanic Garden and Lyman Plant House, and the shifting landscape of the college itself. Burk’s interview is a terrific window into the history of...