INSIDE
Smoking ban petition Coalition mans stations at local bars for petitioners to register to vote. PAGE 5
Isn't it romantic?
The Kansas Summer Theatre troupe's summer fling hits the stage soon. PAGE 16
New seats passed to fans A revamped seating plan will give basketball fans at Allen Fieldhouse a new view of the 'Hawks. PAGE 23
How to...
Tired of grilling and swimming this summer? Throw a toga party with our guide. PAGE 26
CONTENTS
Campus Briefs ...2
Opinion ...6
What's Happening ...19
Entertainment ...21
Sports ...23
Crossword ...29
Classifieds ...30
Tell us your news Contact Donovan Atkinson or Matt Rodriguez at 864- 4810 or editor@kansan.com
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KANSAN
WEEKLY SUMMER EDITION
WWW.KANSAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2004
VOL. 114 ISSUE NO. 156
DJ, bring that beat back
Kit Leffler/Kansen
DJ Josh Powers spins music at the 8th Street Taproom. Powers is at the Taproom the first Friday of every month and hosts "Obscured By Beats" on KJHK. He is known for having lesser-known hip hop records.
Union leader Burge dies
By Erik Johnson ejohnson@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Burge, for whom the Burge Union was named, served as the University's union director from 1952 to 1982, transforming the Kansas Union from a dining hall into the school's first full service student union.
A devoted colleague and selfless friend of the University of Kansas for more than 30 years, Frank Burge died Saturday in his Lawrence home at age 83.
Burge will be remembered as a man who worked tirelessly to improve the social structure of the University with unwavering kindness and personal attention to all he met. Friends said he rarely forgot a face or name, and seemed to know everyone on campus. In turn, everyone seemed to know him.
Burge
"That was just Frank's personality," said Gladys Burge, Frank's wife since 1947. "He was so hard working, lots of fun to be around and he loved the kids."
After earning a degree in commerce from the University of
Iowa in 1942, Burge enlisted in the Army and became a major. He led troops in France, Belgium and Germany before returning in 1946 to become assistant director of the Iowa Memorial Union at the University of Iowa.
In 1949, Burge received a call from Kansas Chancellor Franklin Murphy, who was in need of a union director.
"Dr. Murphy was very visionary," Burge told The Oread in 2000. "He knew
it wouldn't be long before the University grew from a medium to a large university."
Burge was present when that transition occurred. He oversaw four major additions to the Kansas Union during his tenure. After a fire destroyed the Union in 1970. Burge oversaw the reconstruction.
When the University opened a satellite union in 1979, Chancellor Gene Budig requested it be named for Burge, who was close to retirement.
"Frank Burge was a real leader on campus," Chancellor Robert Hemenway said yesterday. "He was a person who cared about the students and fought hard for their opportunities to learn by doing, leading many of the Union's activities."
But Burge's legacy goes beyond his work with the Union.
SEE BURGE ON PAGE 22