Burkot Hall is a three-floor residence hall that opened in 1973. It’s named for Alexander Roman “A.R.” Burkot, who worked at Campbell University for nearly 50 years, making him one of the university’s longest-serving employees in history. Here are five other things to know about Burkot:

1.     He was a natural-born leader. The oldest of 13 children, Burkot was born in Pennsylvania in 1909 to parents who were immigrants from Poland.  

2.       He was committed to quality education throughout his life. Burkot was the first person in his hometown of 900 to graduate from high school. He went on to attend Dickinson College and earn a graduate degree in modern languages from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

3.       He loved his languages. At the time that he was hired to teach at Campbell in 1935, Campbell University historian J. Winston Pearce noted in the book “Campbell College: Big Miracle at Little Buies Creek,” Burkot could teach five languages, speak six languages and read no less than 12 languages.

4.       He pretty much did it all at Campbell.  Former Campbell President Leslie H. Campbell wrote in the 1946 Pine Burr yearbook, “A history of Dean Burkot’s duties and areas of service is impossible.” During his 49 years at Campbell, Burkot held the titles and responsibilities of teacher, dean of men, registrar, director of admissions, academic dean, vice-president of academic affairs and provost.

5.  He insisted on excellence. Burkot once said, “The price of mediocrity is death, if not immediate, still inevitable.” Also maintaining that Campbell “travel the high road of quality of education and living” throughout his career, Burkot helped Campbell evolve from a junior college to a senior college to a university. He died in 1984.

Editor’s note: The Creek Pebbles recurring feature on We Are Campbell looks back at the university’s history. Its name is homage to the school’s first newspaper, Creek Pebbles.