Mary Thomas Burke

Honoree:
Mary Thomas Burke

Submitted By:
Bob Barrett

I met Mary Thomas Burke in the spring of 1972 when I came out to UNC Charlotte to inquire about the M.Ed. degree in school counseling. I had been a teacher for three years and had been asked by my school to become the school counselor. My connection with Dr. Burke was not immediate. Actually we seemed to be on different pages, and I had ended our appointment and headed out the door when she said, “Come back here and sit on the sofa beside me, and let’s start this conversation over.” She began to listen to me and to let me know that she understood. Thus began a conversation that lasted until her death. She became my teacher, my mentor, my friend, and ultimately, my colleague for the rest of my career.

She was a fine teacher who delighted in calling herself Ms. Carl Rogers as she taught us the tenets of unconditional positive regard, non-judgment, and empathy. Most of us in her classes were profoundly touched and changed by our experiences with her. When she taught counseling theory, she was talking to each of us, encouraging us to examine our own lives and to understand ourselves more fully. When she supervised us in our clinical work, she was gently but firmly calling forth the empathic person in each of us. When she showed us how to be a counselor, she was really showing us how to be more fully human. She seemed to call us forth into a richer appreciation of ourselves and to the possibilities in us to be helpful to others.

She continued to listen to me throughout my career. This is not to suggest that she always gave me what I wanted, or thought I wanted. But she was one to challenge from a loving place but who also accepted whatever was the best I could offer given the complexity of my life. She opened me to an adventure inthe helping professions that I had barely glimpsed before I met her. Her belief in me was so apparent and brought forth a confidence and trust in myself hitherto unknown. I believe she had this same impact on most of her students.

For many years Mary Thomas Burke was the heart of the Counseling Program at UNCC. She shaped this program throughout her life. Through her students, she continues to transform the lives of countless others whose suffering has led them to seek counseling.

Bob Barret