Access is granted in accordance with the
Protocols for the University Archives and Records Center.
PROVENANCE
Accessioned at University Archives, 1986. Additional material was
donated to the School of Dental Medicine in 2001 by relatives of Burket.
Transferred to the University Archives in 2001.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Born in Bozeman, Montana, the son of William B. and Mary Roe Burket,
in 1907, Burket received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University
of Pennsylvania in 1929. In 1932, he received the degree Doctor of Dental
Surgery from the University's School of Dentistry. In the same year,
he became a Rockefeller Fellow and attended Yale Medical School, where
he received an M.D. in 1936.
After taking his medical degree, Burket became a Sterling Fellow in
pathology and an instructor in dental pathology at Yale. In 1937, he
returned to the University of Pennsylvania, where he taught from 1937
to 1977, serving as Dean of the School of Dental Medicine from 1951
to 1972. Considered an important participant in the revolution in dentistry
that took place in the middle of the 20th century, Burket also was well
known for improving dental education and consulting with federal and
international policymakers on dental issues. During his lifetime Burket
received numerous honorary degrees and professional honors, including
a Doctor of Science degree awarded to him by the University of Pennsylvania
in 1978.
Burket also was greatly interested in amateur radio and telephony,
belonging to several amateur radio societies. During the Second World
War, he used his skills to put servicemen overseas in touch with their
families at home. After breaking a leg in a car accident in the early
1950s, Burket taught his classes for one semester by telephone.
He died in 1991.