Andrew Gordon Burch

1938-1967
Andy was the first of our class to die.  I remember hearing the news about an automobile accident while in the Navy at Pensacola and being sad because he was a good friend all during grade school, junior high and high school.

Unfortunately, information about Andy's passing is unavailable. We do not know where his obituary was published.

If you have knowledge of events in his life or know when he died, please contact us.

 

 
CLASSMATE TRIBUTES  

Louis Buettner:

 

Andy was really a BMOC during our high school years, but before we were in high school, Andy was one of the gang of kids that I ran around with.  We had a big backyard because Dad had built our home out on the edge of town where hardly anybody else had located.  Andy tried to teach me how to broad jump on a little running track that he scratched out of "the woods" back there.  With his coaching, I got to be quite good at the "standing broad jump."  I could jump longer than my height from a standing position.  He was always supportive, patient and encouraging with me, and I'll bet he was a leader in all the things he put his effort into.  Andy went on to be a state champion or contender in broad jump, high jump and discus in high school.

Buck Locke:

Andy Burch was a good friend.  He was more outgoing and studious that I was.   Andy and I really enjoyed track.  He could jump and I could run, but he wanted to help me do better.  Sometime after we got to high school we liked to go to movies together.  However we wanted to combine the movie with some exercise.  The Ritz and Colbert theaters were too close to my house and the Tuscumbian was too close to Andy’s home.  So we would run over to Florence to see a movie.  Those were the days when there was a walkway under the O’Neal bridge.  But then again the Princess in Florence proved to be too short a run so we kept on going to the Norwood.  To think we did this just for fun!  Of course this was good training for cross country track.  We would joke about Andy’s legs being so much longer than mine, but he had to carry 40 pounds or so more weight as a handicap.

We did well enough to help win the TVC trophy for Sheffield and then go on to the State track meet.  I placed third there in the half mile, but I can’t remember where Andy finished.  He was in the top three which enabled the two of us to go to Atlanta for a joint Georgia/Alabama track meet.  I didn’t place, but I think Andy did well enough to get a scholarship to Auburn.  I then left for the navy.

When I got out of the navy I went to Florence State for two years.  During that time Andy would stop by and we would go to the bowling alley on Hatch.  As I recall we could go after midnight and bowl as long as we wanted for 50 cents.  What a deal!  After I transferred to Auburn we lost touch with each other.  His death in ’67 was very unsettling as I recalled our days of racing over to Florence when we were young and  knew that we would live forever.  Sadly time has proved that was not true!  His grave is about 100 feet from my father’s and I still visit with him when I’m in Sheffield.