Bob Burns: Soldier, scholar and distinguished South Dakotan

BROOKINGS — In 2016, Brookings resident Dr. Robert “Bob” Burns, a noted and respected political scientist and educator, was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame. Some of his “Legacy of Achievement” cited on that ceremonial occasion is noted below, but at 83 and well into his retirement, he continues the sort of dedicated work that led to his selection and induction into the hall.

Burns was born in Flandreau in 1942. Growing up there at the same time was William “Bill” Janklow, who was three years older than him; he would go on to be four-term governor of South Dakota. “I got to know him when his mother moved the family back to South Dakota (from Chicago) following his father’s death,” Burns recalled.

The Brookings Register