Uncle Donnie

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs; who comes short again and again; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” -Theodore Roosevelt

Donald Harlow Burke has achieved his victory. When I think of my experience with the original idea of God I know as Uncle Donnie, boundless, fun loving, and gracious are adjectives that come immediately to mind. I did not get to spend as much time with him as I would have liked, but the time I got was exciting, world view expanding, and even life altering. He introduced me to moose burgers, float planes, and king salmon fishing in Alaska in the summer of 1990. We camped on an island-first and only time for me, very far from anything sedate or civil. I can still hear him hollering my name as I stepped off the boat into what I thought was knee deep water after an hour of pulling in my first salmon, a meager 45 lbs. The water was deeper than I was tall, and when I came up still holding the rod, fish hooked, I saw his laughing face and felt his pride that I had held on. He caught the very next fish, a 90 lb king- Vintage Uncle Donnie.

     Whether far out in the wild places, in his shop learning to bend and cut metal into ductwork, hiking a mountain, doing roof work on a giant building in downtown Knoxville, or just hanging out on the front porch listening to the cicadas, he just made you feel good about yourself. That was his super power. And if everything was going awry and panic was on the prowl, he stayed calm, cool, and collected, took another cast with the fishing rod of his imagination, and tried to hook another idea from a different perspective. Looking back, we did not have fun, he just was fun. He brought his infectious, easy-going determination and excitement into every venture, whether finding a way to clean up oil spills or going for a burger and a shake.  

     He was an example of tenacity, ideas, and grace under fire. His faith in God was unshakable. Not perfect and admitting it, Uncle Donnie is a man who wrestled with himself and with God and made a brilliant impact on my relationship with Jesus Christ. He is a hero to me, and in my memory will always remain the man in the arena.