HARLEY TRUE BURTON - INDUCTEE #46
hall of fame fast fact:
For his 1927 master's thesis at the University of Texas, Harley True Burton wrote 'A History of the JA Ranch,' the first ranch in the Texas Panhandle, founded by Col. Charles Goodnight and John Adair. Goodnight's signature pencil is on the cover. Burton's daughter thinks she has the only copy left, although the Lubbock Public Library lists one available for $500.
Harley True Burton
Fresh from his Army discharge after serving in World War I, the 30-year-old Harley True Burton assumed his duties at Clarendon Methodist College in January 1919.
Burton was at Clarendon for more than four decades; he coached all sports except tennis from 1920 to 1926. His junior college football teams won 41, lost 16, and tied four against four-year schools. In 1922, Burton’s Bulldogs won all nine games; the “Wonder Team of ‘22” was undefeated and not scored on at home.
After Clarendon Methodist College closed in 1927, a new junior college was opened and Burton became its first president. He also became superintendent of Clarendon Public Schools and served in those positions for 26 years until he retired in 1954.
He was elected Clarendon’s mayor in 1955 and served eight years in that capacity.
In 1963, Burton was awarded an honorary degree of doctor of humanitarianism before a group of former students, including several football players from his teams in the 1920s.
Burton died in 1964 at age 76.
