Tilton, NH – Burrett Eaton McBee, Jr. died on October 6, age 78. He had battled cancer for 15 years.
A mountain man disguised as an academic, Burrett McBee could build or fix anything.
An avid outdoorsman, Burrett knew the White Mountains like the back of his hand and summered on Squam his entire life. He taught English for fifty years, directed plays, designed and built their sets, and coached archery at independent schools in Connecticut, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and New Hampshire. His final 14 years of teaching English were at Plymouth State where he was a force in establishing the union for adjunct professors. He won the Outstanding Member Award from the SEIU, 1984 chapter, in 2015. In 2016, he received the Distinguished Teaching Lecturer Award at Plymouth State University.
Burrett and his family spent their summers, over the years, hosting 25 Fresh Air children and were active volunteers in the management of that program. He and his wife were puppeteers whose company, Sesquipedalia, performed from Maine to Utah to Florida. Burrett truly loved singing in the choir at Sanbornton Congregational Church where his friendship and excellent baritone are deeply missed.
A graduate of Utica University, Burrett spent his Junior year at Oxford University, England. He received his Master’s degree in directing from the University of Illinois.
He leaves his devoted wife of 52 years, Deborah (Rhu) Melum McBee, loving daughter and son-in-law Alice Eaton McBee III and David Freitag, and their daughter Andromeda, as well as his brother Bill McBee, and sisters Jean Knox and Hetty Tye.
In honor of Burrett, his family requests support for teachers in every way possible.
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