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four children, I studied and learned,” she says. In 1965, the untimely death of Charles Burns in a sailboat accident put Eunice Burns’ resolve to the test. “I had four children, so I needed to go on,” she recalls. After the City Council, Burns worked on her Master of Public Policy degree. She secured course credits for prior experience from Pat Crecine , then chair of IPPS. “I walk in the door, and he says, ‘Oh, I see you’ve been on City Council; I think you ought to have 6 credits.’ One credit for each year,” she says chuckling. Master’s degree in hand, Burns didn’t feel particularly savvy about the job search. “I just went to my friends and said, ‘Hey, I’m available!’” It worked. Burns assisted Wilbur Cohen, former dean of the School of Education. For part of that time, she also worked directly for President Robben Fleming as the chair of the U-M Commission for Women. She authored the Burns Report on women in intercollegiate athletics, which recommended actions to implement Title IX in the wake of its passage in 1972. After a decade of service to the University, Burns retired in 1982.
Photo: Huron River Watershed Council
Illustration: Michigan Sea Grant
The “Yes, You!” Proclamation
Among Burns’ many roles, she continues to sit on the board of the HRWC, which recently honored her with the inaugural Herb Munzel Lifetime Achievement Award. “Eunice Burns’ leadership and commitment to the development of citizen science and stewardship has helped foster the effectiveness of HRWC,” says executive director Laura Rubin. “She has made a significant difference in improving the water quality and the quality of life in Ann Arbor.” On Burns’ 90th birthday, Ann Arbor mayor John Hieftje proclaimed her the “Yes, You!” Torch Bearer for a lifetime of service. Looking back on an unexpected but influential career, she advises young women to “find out what’s going on and get involved with some part of it—you can start just licking envelopes. I remember the first door I knocked on when I was campaigning, and it got easier and easier after that. You just have to take the first step and see where it leads you. And at age 90, I still haven’t stopped!” ■
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Number of people, in millions, who die annually due to unsafe drinkingwater conditions
Percent of the earth’s freshwater that is held in the Great Lakes watershed
Source: Unless otherwise noted, all data from The Great Lakes Water Wars, by Peter Annin. Published by Island Press, a trademark of The Center for Resource Economics, in 2006.
The legacy of Eunice Burns Launched with a $35,000 gift, the Eunice Burns Fund for Water Policy Education will support educational and research activities at the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP). The fund will enable students, scholars, and the public to better understand the policy implications around sustainable methods of managing the world’s supply of fresh water, and related issues associated with effective environmental governance. The gift to the Ford School is also a gift to Eunice Burns from her children as a way to honor her steadfast commitment to her family, the U-M, Ann Arbor, and the environment. “The four of us started talking about it, and everyone was very enthusiastic,” says Burns’ daughter Laurie Burns McRobbie. “We also needed to do this in a way that would allow her to interact with the students who benefit from the fund. I think, more than anything, what she exemplifies is the notion that everybody has the ability to step up and make a difference.”
Burns on the Huron River.
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