B.B. Branton: Lee Burns – The Right Man To Lead McCallie

  • Sunday, September 21, 2014
  • B.B. Branton

McCallie School’s new headmaster, Arthur Lee Burns III, understands the importance of a thought provoking, challenging, ability-to-succeed-in-the-future type education, a strong faculty, Biblically-based morals, outstanding alumni leadership and the awareness of being grounded by standing on the shoulders of those who came before him and others.

At his installation Friday night as the school’s eighth headmaster, Mr. Burns (’87) touched on these and other important topics as he addressed, faculty, trustees, alumni, family and friends.

Those Who Came Before Us

“This school was built upon the dedication of men like my grandfather, Major Burns, along with Chalmers McIlwaine, John Strang, John Day, Captain Tate and Rocky Young (as well as the seven previous headmasters) and many others who taught long hours, counseled and disciplined students and were in a sense surrogate fathers, mentors, guides and role models to boys needing direction and affirmation as they were beginning that complicated journey to manhood in a confusing and sometimes lonely world,” said Mr. Burns.

“I believe these great men saw their work at McCallie as a calling, as ministry, flowing from the vision of the founders and inspired by the heroic and hard work of the McCallie family.”

The Scholastic Standard

Opened on this day 109 years ago – Sept.21, 1905 – McCallie quickly found its place as an educational leader as noted by a statement in the Chattanooga News in 1906 that “this child of education (McCallie) has walked away from some of its older competitors in its very infancy.”

By 1910, McCallie graduates were attending Georgia Tech, Yale, Washington and Lee, Virginia and Cornell.

Mr. Burns stated, “As Spence McCallie III said, ‘we drink from wells we did not dig …. wells dug and deepened last century.’”

“By most any measure, we today are in a strong position – one that would be envied by most independent schools around the county.”

The new headmaster noted that in 2014, 120 students have been named Advanced Placement Scholars for earning a 3 or higher on three or more AP exams, 60% of the class of 2014 accepted college scholarships and during the past decade 250 students have been recognized as National Merit Finalists, Semifinalists, Commended Achievement or Hispanic Scholars.

He also said, “The school’s endowed Honors Scholarship program attracts some of the country’s most outstanding scholars and leaders.”

While the daily academic challenges are demanding, the students succeed in areas outside the classroom with state championships in cross country and baseball, regional awards for debate, science and math teams and Model UN team, crew and Habitat for Humanity chapters gaining national attention.

McCallie’s Future

“Despite our story of yesterday and our strength of today, we face challenges and opportunities,” Mr. Burns said.

“McCallie boys are inhabiting and inheriting a different world – one that is dynamic and diverse … one that demands both traditional skills and new ones.

“To thrive as scholars and leaders, our students and graduates need to read and think critically … research, analyze and synthesize … to find and make meaning amidst the abundance of information … to design, create and tinker … be innovative and entrepreneurial … be fluid and flexible learners … be excellent collaborators with those of similar and opposite views … reason like a scientist, engineer, mathematician and coder … be fluent in digital literacy and other world languages … have the ability to communicate clearly, concisely and creatively in various media – both traditional ones and emerging ones … to nourish the mind and soul through great literature, art and music … to study history from multiple viewpoints, to learn from it and see how our past and place shape our present … and they need to understand who they are in relation to God, their Creator and Redeemer, whose design and plans to grow, guide and prosper them, call them to a life of faith, service and love.”

McCallie’s Greatest Strength

Today’s students are, in many ways, different than in prior generations.

Mr. Burns noted, “they are distracted and distractable … read less and game more …. Expectations and timeframes are immediate ... less inclined to work hard and persevere … connect and communicate in different ways.

“How do we reach and teach them? At their core, great schools hinge on relationships, especially those between students and their teachers. Fortunately for McCallie, that has been and remains or greatest strength.

“A passionate and talented teacher, who knows, nurtures and loves his or her students can speak into a boy’s head and heart and soul and can inspire the student to undertake and persevere at most any task.”

The Founding Fathers

“What would the Reverend T. Hooke McCallie think of what happened to his family farm?

“What would the school’s co-founders (his sons) Spencer and Park McCallie think of their school?

“I think they would recognize the values of the school and see that the school has remained true to its founding principles … would rejoice in that teachers and coaches in 2014 share the same passion and dedication for educating boys that the faculty of their generation did … would be fascinated by much of what we teach and how we teach it ... astonished by the size and scope of the school, the buildings and programs … energized and excited by the vitality of the school … and more importantly, they’d be gratified by the thousands of men whose lives were shaped here – men who embody the ideas of Honor, Truth and Duty, men who glorify and enjoy God.

“If they were here today, I think they’d look at this faculty and say, ‘you are the heart and soul of this school, and you are amazing.’

“To the Board of Trustees, they would say, ‘your faithful commitment to our mission and your generous support of the school have sustained and strengthened us.’

“I think they’d look out across this chapel, and say, ‘look at the fruits of our labors from the family farm. This land was obviously ordained to inspire boys and build men.’

“I believe they then offer a prayer, thanking God for his provision for his blessing of McCallie for these last 109 years, beseeching that He continue to use this school for our good and His glory.”

What Others Say About Lee Burns

Buff Grace – classmate and 1987 Clifford Barker Grayson Medal recipient (the school’s highest award – Lee Burns received the school’s second highest award, the Campbell medal).

“As a student at McCallie, Lee was very quiet and very grounded … yet when he spoke everyone listened, because we knew what he had to say was high quality … he was truly more mature than many of us and wise beyond his years.”

Kris Brackett – classmate of Lee Burns

“Lee was a good friend and great example to all of his classmates of integrity, hardwork, scholarship and excellence.  He is the perfect man for the job of being headmaster at McCallie.  I believe that he will have a great impact on the young men and faculty for many years to come as he leads McCallie to fulfill its chief end of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.

Parke Morris (’88) and Lee Burns’ doubles partner at McCallie

“Lee is always so well prepared and very thoughtful … he is open to new ideas and concepts … is elastic and 10-15 steps ahead of many in planning and strategy.

“On the tennis court, he was so well prepared mentally and would never lose his cool … he had every shot in the book … had great court coverage … would run you side-to-side and then throw in a winning unreachable drop shot to make you look bad in front of the girls!”

Graham Burns, his mother

“Lee was so shy as a young boy he had a difficult time talking to anyone (she said with a laugh) … yet, tennis really was the game changer for him at an early age as he had to be assertive, make his own calls and stand on his own two feet in matches … he showed great sportsmanship on the court, but his fierce competitiveness and mental preparation were the keys to many of his wins.”


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