Former NFHS President, Hall of Fame Inductee Al Burr Passes Away

Al Burr, one of this country’s most highly respected high school principals during his 30 years in the Parkway and Clayton School Districts in Missouri and former president of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), passed away September 25 at his home in Hebron, Kentucky. He was 85 years of age.

Burr was a member of the Missouri State High School Activities Association Board of Control for 12 years and was president of the NFHS in 1980-81. After retiring as a high school principal in 1991, Burr conducted leadership seminars and delivered keynote addresses at conferences throughout the United States – always emphasizing the importance of high school athletics and activities.

Burr was named one of the 60 most exemplary principals in the United States in a study by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), and he was inducted into the NFHS National High School Hall of Fame in 2000.

Burr was an educator who loved kids. For 30 years, he memorized homemade flash cards that matched the names and faces of his incoming freshmen and new students so that on the first day of school he could greet every student by name – an amazing feat considering his schools had more than 2,300 students at times.