After earning his degree in metallurgical engineering from Case Institute of Technology, and serving in the U.S. Air Force, Alan R. Burkart (CIT ‘52) launched a career that took him from working on the Mercury space capsule to president of a Georgia-based chemical company.
Aware of the role his CIT education played in the family’s success, Alan and his wife, Eleanor, committed to helping clear similar paths for those around them—covering college expenses for not only their own extended family, but also for many children of employees at Burkart’s company, Columbian Chemicals (now known as Birla Carbon).
“Our parents were both passionate about helping send kids to college and easing the financial burden of loans,” said the Burkart’s children.
To honor the late couple’s long-standing commitment to providing educational opportunities, their children created the Alan R. and Eleanor I. Burkart Engineering Scholarship Fund—through a $400,000 estate gift to the Case School of Engineering.
“As Dad progressed in his career, in part, because of his outstanding education at Case, (our parents) used their wealth to help educate others,” said Eleanor Edwards, one of the Burkarts’ three daughters, along with Elaine Pace and Leslie Stricek. “By establishing this scholarship fund, we honor their memory, continue that passion and create a legacy for the Burkart family.”
Originally published in the summer 2023 issue of Forward Thinking magazine