On June 17, Robert Burks ’51 will celebrate a milestone few people ever reach: his 100th birthday.

Ask anyone who knows him, and they’ll tell you the same thing—he has lived a full and remarkable life, one built on family, adventure, hard work, and gratitude for each day. He joined the navy in 1944, while still a student at Peoria Central High School.

“The Navy had a program that encouraged high school seniors to join as early as February 1944, but allowed us to finish school before being called into service,” Burks wrote in his journal. “On Feb. 6, 1945, I was assigned to the AE Division (electric division). I had graduated from the Navy Electrical School at Great Lakes, Ill., after boot training.”

Burks served on the U.S. Navy jeep carrier USS Munda during World War II, which served as an aircraft transport and as a replenishment escort carrier in the Pacific War. After his Navy service, he came to Bradley in 1947 to study engineering through the GI Bill. It was here that he met the love of his life, Mavis Bishop. Together they built a life centered on family, love, and laughter, raising their four daughters. They were married 42 years before Mavis passed away in 1992.

After graduating in 1951, Burks spent most of his professional career with Eaton Corporation in Westlake, Ohio, where he was Marine Sales Manager for the Airflex Division, which had a joint venture with a Japanese company called Japan Fawick. It was there that he befriended several Japanese colleagues, many of whom served in the Japanese military. It was kind of a full-circle moment, as he worked with Japanese shipbuilders during his time in the service after World War II ended.

But work was only one chapter of a much bigger story in his life. In his 40s, Burks discovered skiing, a hobby that would become a lifelong passion. After retiring, he and Mavis moved to Steamboat Springs, Colo., where they built a beautiful home near the ski mountain and embraced life in the Rockies. Even after Mavis passed away, Colorado remained home to Burks for decades. He met Lori Chapin, while serving as a guide for her group during a ski trip and they married in 1995, beginning another meaningful chapter in his life.

Burks didn’t just ski casually. He thrived on the slopes well into his later years, winning a NASTAR race at age 89 and competing for many years before that. But, at age 90, he made the practical decision to stop skiing, recognizing that one serious fall could change everything.

Even into his 90s, Burks continued to live largely independently alongside Lori. Only after Lori passed away in 2025 did he leave Steamboat Springs, moving closer to family. Today, daughters Betsy and Merry help care for him, though, as they’ll quickly point out, he doesn’t need much help at all.

Burks now spends his time reading history novels and the newspaper, checking the stock market, playing solitaire, taking naps, and spending time with family. Though he doesn’t get out very often, everyday he gets dressed as if he has someplace to be, and he makes himself peanut butter toast and fruit for breakfast.

He says he feels he has truly lived his life and no longer feels the need to be constantly on the go. Yet what remains strongest is his spirit—his sharp sense of humor, his frequent laughter, and his appreciation for simple joys.

At 100 years old, Robert Burks’ story is not simply about longevity. It is about embracing life fully. It is, by every measure, a life well lived.

—Emily Potts