Dr. Glenn Burdick has a unique history with the college, as a board member, student and donor. He served on the Laurel Ridge College Board for eight years, two of those, as board chair. Dr. Burdick received the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award at the recent Laurel Ridge President’s Appreciation Dinner.
Burdick was the Superintendent of Winchester Public Schools from 1991 until his retirement in 2001. At the age of 56, after retiring from a 30-year career with the Virginia public school system and taking time to care for elderly parents, Dr. Burdick decided to enroll in the nursing program at Laurel Ridge. After earning his degree, he became a registered nurse at Winchester Medical Center, caring for post-surgical cardiac patients. From there, he worked with Blue Ridge Hospice as a nurse, assisting patients in a compassionate manner. In 2011, Burdick became the Executive Director of St. Luke Community Clinic in Front Royal, a facility offering free medical care.
When asked about his experience with Laurel Ridge, Burdick said, “I know of no other organization in this area where more opportunity is regularly offered to such a diverse group of people; where faculty, staff, and community supporters display such willingness to help ordinary people realized their dreams.” He went on to say, “Laurel Ridge gave me a chance to completely reinvent myself in midlife.”
Dr. Burdick’s mother was a military nurse and it only seemed fitting that in honor of her, Burdick established the Margaret T. Burdick Memorial Nursing Scholarship to benefit a student at Laurel Ridge.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.