The Cartoons of Kirk Burdick  

In January we lost a member of the PCCCA family. Kirk Burdick was best known in PCCCA circles for his work as the Program Director at Wildwood (our former site outside of Cincinnati) and Stronghold (in Oregon, Illinois). In addition, he was known for his unique sense of humor and his artistic abilities. For many years Kirk contributed cartoons to the Branches newsletter (and the Touches newsletter that preceded it). We thought that you might appreciate reading a bit about his life and revisiting some of the cartoons he shared with his PCCCA friends.

Kirk Lee Burdick, age 40, died January 6th, 2008 at Hospice Savannah after a short battle with cancer. Kirk was born in Villa Hills, Kentucky on April 24th, 1967. He graduated from Maryville College in 1989 and moved to coastal Georgia in 2000 to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts Degree from Savannah College of Art and Design. Throughout his life, Kirk demonstrated his great faith in God and hope for humanity by serving as an elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA), serving in youth and camping ministry for the Presbyterian Church (USA), working for the national General Assembly, and contributing to Sunday School curriculum projects for the denomination. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Brunswick, Georgia. For the past several years he worked as an artist and job coach with mentally challenged adults at the non-profit organization Coastal Center for Developmental Services in Savannah. Kirk’s greatest joys were found in spending time with his wife Lou Ellen, with friends, reading and in painting, drawing and creating works of art, which are displayed in Midway at the Midway Gallery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Kirk Burdick Memorial Fund at the Coastal Center for Developmental Services. Please make checks payable to Coastal Center for Developmental Services/Print Shop, 1249 Eisenhower Drive, Savannah GA 31406.

Thank you, Kirk.