SPC Honors Col. Roy W. Burley, Sr. with Legacy Day dedication on Aug. 18

St. Philip’s College will host six ceremonies in one day, including an oak tree dedication in honor of the late Col. Roy W. Burley, Sr., unveiling of Saint Philip’s Way and the ribbon cutting on four new buildings.

Events will start at 7:30 a.m. at the oak tree near Walters St. and the Applied Science Building (ASB).

Col. Burley, a longtime San Antonio resident and advocate for underserved populations, will be remembered with a plaque at the site of a tree that once stood on his homestead.

Burley is a 1940 graduate of Phyllis Wheatley High School on San Antonio’s Eastside. He went on to earn two college degrees: a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from the University of Nebraska Omaha, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Education from Prairie View A&M University and completed further studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio in Human Resource Management.

Lt. Gen. John R. Evans, Jr., Commander, U.S. Army (North) will pay tribute to Col. Burley’s 30-year military career that spanned WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Colonel Burley joined the Enlisted Reserve Corps as a student at Prairie View A&M College (now Prairie View A&M University).

He was called to active duty in May 1943, and sent to the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) at Howard University in Washington, D.C. In December 1944, Burley was commissioned a Second Lieutenant after graduating from Office Candidate School.

He was stationed in Germany, the Philippines, Thailand and on numerous posts in the U.S. His duty assignments ranged from brigade level commands to staff positions with the Department of the Army and Senior Operations Advisory to the Royal Thai Army. Col. Burley retired from active duty in 1973.

SPC President Dr. Adena Williams Loston will honor Col. Burley’s civilian work in San Antonio.

After his military retirement, Burley served on the University Health System Board of Managers for 14 years, including two years as Chair. His leadership led to the purchase of the former Lutheran General Hospital and the establishment of the Texas Diabetes Institute, one of the nation’s premier diabetes treatment and research centers.

Col. Burley also held positions as executive coordinator of the San Antonio Alliance of Business and the Private Industry Council, executive director of Bexar County Opportunity Industrialization Center (BCOIC), an organization that employed and provided job training to local underserved populations, and USAA Director of Personnel.

He served the Honorable State Representative Garlington Jerome “G.J.” Sutton (Dist. 57-E), as well his wife, the Honorable State Representative Lou Nell Sutton (Dist. 57-E), as executive assistant for many years.

The Burley family will attend, including two of his four children – Roy W. Burley, Jr. and Nan Burley Richie.

Other Legacy Day events are:

Ribbon Cutting for Saint Artemisia Bowden Building, 8 a.m.
Ribbon Cutting for Clarence W. Norris Building, 9 a.m.
Ribbon Cutting for William A. Hudgins Health and Wellness Building, 10 a.m.
Unveiling of Saint Philips Way, 11:15 a.m.
Ribbon Cutting for Tourism, Hospitality and Culinary Arts Building, 11:30 a.m.

For more information about Legacy Day, visit aplrealestate.com/spc/legacy-day.

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