Death of a Highwayman

Colleges & Universities Wesleyan University
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<p>Bob Burnett, Class of 1962, passed away three days ago. He was a member of the folk music group, The Highwaymen, which was composed entirely of Wesleyan fraternity brothers. Much has been written about the group’s Cindarella-like rise; within a year of forming, they had the #1 hit single in the country, “Michael”, a cover of the traditonal folk ballad, Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore.<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/10/arts/music/bob-burnett-of-the-highwaymen-dies-at-71.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/10/arts/music/bob-burnett-of-the-highwaymen-dies-at-71.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>What doesn’t get mentioned a lot is the context of the group’s formation. The fraternity that the five students, Trent Lott, Bob Burnett, Dave Fisher (who died two years ago), Steve Butts and Chan Daniels, belonged to had been decertified by their national for admitting blacks and Jews, something virtually every national fraternity in the United States forbade as a result of racially bigoted by-laws that had been imbedded into their charters, generations before.</p>

<p>To give you an idea of the atmosphere that greeted Mr. Burnett and his fellow frosh in 1958, here’s an excerpt – not from the Wesleyan student paper – but, from the Harvard Crimson of October 29, 1952 [note the name of the Wesleyan pledge]:<br>
[Wesleyan</a> Fraternity Releases Charter to Initiate Negro Boy | News | The Harvard Crimson](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1952/10/29/wesleyan-fraternity-releases-charter-to-initiate/]Wesleyan”>Wesleyan Fraternity Releases Charter to Initiate Negro Boy | News | The Harvard Crimson)</p>

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<p>Sorry to hear about Bob Burnett. I had just taken a look at the Original Highwaymen’s website last weekend.</p>

<p>About the Harvard Crimson article from 1952–that “Negro boy from Hartford” that was allowed to join Delta Upsilon was none other than Edgar Beckham, the first African-American Dean at Wesleyan and one of the most celebrated figures of the university community in the 20th century as described in this page from our website: [The</a> Wesleyan Connection: Campus News](<a href=“http://www.wesleyan.edu/newsletter/campus/2006/0506beckham.html]The”>http://www.wesleyan.edu/newsletter/campus/2006/0506beckham.html).</p>

<p>It is also of note that the writer on the Harvard Crimson misspelled Beckham’s last name as “Beckhan”.</p>

<p>Oh, those annoying dial phones of the fifties. He must have been using a noisy party line.</p>

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<p>

Actually, my face is pretty red, too. I managed to confuse Steve Trott, former Senior Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Wesleyan Class of 1962, with Trent Lott, the former Junior Senator from Mississippi (and, most definitely <em>not</em> a Wesleyan alum).:o</p>

<p>My apologies to Steve and my condolences to the Burnett family.</p>

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<p>My daughter will be attending Wesleyan as a freshman in 2012. I’m going to forward this thread to her. It’s really amazing, the kind of place Wes is, today, and historically.</p>

<p>I feel a great deal of pride to be associated with such an fine institution, one that has taken and continues to take such courageous moral stands … even if my own association is merely through my daughter’s admission to Wesleyan.</p>

<p>Not just individuals, but institutions, too, can be leaders in the pursuit of truth and a better society for all to enjoy. Certainly, Wesleyan University is one such leading institution.</p>

<p>My congratulations to the Wes chapter of Delta Upsilon of old, and to those who came before them and after them at Wes and elsewhere to drill down through prejudice, fear, and other forms of irrationality to uncover the jewels hidden at the core of human nature.</p>

<p>“Michael” was an important song and played an important role in the great progressive tide of change that brought America out of the darkness of the reactionary days of the “Red Scare” back into the light of day. We could use such a song today.</p>

<p>All the best to those who are mourning the loss of Bob Burnett. I’m thankful for his talent and fine example, which have inspired so many.</p>