Injury Fatal to A.T. Burge--former resident
A.T. Burge, 62 year old Oklahoma County agent for the last 13 yeaars, died at 6 p.m. Thursday in Oklahoma City General Hospital of injuries received when he was struck by an interburan car at Northwest Twenty-first street and Classen Boulevard.
Burge never regained consciouness after the accident. A serious head injury was complicated with pneumonia. Frequently center of controversy in his early years here, first with one group and then another because of his unswerving believe in co-operative marketing and other program for the economic advancement of farmers. Burge had earned the respect of even his critics at the time of his death.
He was vice-chairman of the agriculture resources committee of the Chamber of Commerce and other Oklahoma County-City Council of Defensse and one of his last activities was in helping to make preliminary arrangements for the junior livestock show here in the spring.
At one time he was at outs with milk distributors here in organizing a co-operative marketing association, and at another time he was under fire from livestock commission firms but rode out both storms. Administration of the Triple-A program tied him to his desk for a time, but even in those days he managed to keep close contact with individual problems of farmers.
Burge was observing the strict application of gasoline rationing by riding the street car to work before daylight Saturday morning. He left his automobile at home except on those days when he was going to the country.
Burge's soil building and pasture program in Oklahoma County was considered a model by many, although he never lost his interest in dairy, horiculture and farm home improvements. The county agent was born in Indianaa, November 25, 1880, attended Drury College and the University of Missouri in 1904 and 1905. He came to Oklahoma as a country school teacher and was superintendent of schools in Roger Mills County when he was named extension agent in Garvin County in 1920.
Mrsz. Burge was in one of his classses and married him while she still was in school.
In 1923 he was transferred to Craig Couny by the extension division where he remained for six years and established a fruit farm which he still owns.
In 1929 he came to Oklahoma City with the Poultry Marketing association and on December 1, 1929 succeeded S.M. Mustion, who resigned as County Agent to become a canadiate for president of the State Board of Agriculture.
In addition to his wife, Glayds at the home address, 915 NW 25th Street, Burge leaves two sons, Don C., now living in Victoria, Texas and John C., who lives at Seminole; three sisters, Mrs. Jean Thompson, Joplin, MO., Mrs. Maud Lambert, Hammon; Mrs. R.L. Curry, Iowa Park, Texas; his step-mother, Anna Burge, Hammon and three grandchilddren.
Services were at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Luke's Methodist Church with Rev. John R. Abernathy officiating.
Cheyenne Star, Cheyenne, OK 24-Dec-1942