Bob Burke, who is the assistant general counsel at National Life, will retire at the end of the year. He started at the company in 1983. So we asked him to answer a few questions before he packs up his office.
Q. What’s been your favorite part of working at National Life?
A. It would be the overall work experience starting with great colleagues in the Law Department and Market Conduct and a lot of bright people in the Company who I work with solving interesting and challenging problems. I’ve also had an opportunity to work with some fabulous lawyers across the United States, which has been professionally and personally rewarding. I feel very fortunate to be able to do this in a beautiful setting with a Company that has been supportive of maintaining work life balance.
Q. What would most surprise your coworkers to know about you?
A. I came to Montpelier in 1974 right after graduating from college to replace my brother as the bartender in my brother –in-law and sister’s restaurant. I spent the year in that occupation before going to law school the next year but I returned as a law clerk the next summer and never left other than completing school.
Q. We know that you’re a big golfer. So besides golfing, what are your other plans for retirement?
A. In January, I’ll be the administrator of the Vermont Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association, an organization that protects Vermont residents who are policy holders of insolvent insurers. Depending on the season I hope to cross country ski and golf more, do a lot of reading, and finally complete watching “The Wire”.
Q. Speaking of golf, what’s your handicap? And what would you like your handicap to be?
A. Too high to admit in writing and I’d like it to be much lower. We’ll see.
Q. We understand you have an affinity – dare we say obsession? – with a certain baseball team in Boston. If you could spend just one day in the Red Sox lineup, which position would you play and who else would fill out your lineup?
A. I’m interpreting this as a “Field of Dreams “ opportunity. I’m on the hill in Fenway with an outfield left to right of Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio and Yaz, an infield third to first of George Scott, Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doerr, and David Ortiz, and Carlton Fisk is the catcher.
Q. Legend has it that you’re quite the singer and actually belted one out during a karaoke event at an agents gathering in Mexico. (We also understand there just might be a recording of it.) What was the song and why did you choose it as your serenade?
A. Actually, I joined the Mariacci band performing at our table then serenaded my wife to “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” made famous of course by Elvis in Blue Hawaii. Great song. Not sure why I picked it as there was tequila involved.
Q. We understand you’re a pretty committed fan of the Villanova basketball team, your alma mater. Can you tell us where you watched the classic 1985 NCAA championship victory over Georgetown and who you were with?
A. In my living room with my wife and joined by our two month old daughter with about five minutes left in the game. I believe I had woken her arguing a couple bad calls.
Q. You’ve spent your time at National Life making sure that we’re in compliance with the law and doing the right thing. But there’s so much more to it. What is the issue you had to deal with during your time here that was most in need of common sense advice rather than legal guidance? And what was the advice?
A. This is a tough question. I like the sports and music questions better. I don’t know if this is directly on point but in my first decade with National Life there was frustration and unhappiness in my department after a management change. My advice to my colleagues was not to waste energy on what you cannot change, but as professional s accept the change and embrace new leadership.
Q. Given that you’re so well known for your common sense advice on legal questions, what’s the one piece of advice you’d offer your National Life teammates as you prepare to retire?
A. Do your job, but look for opportunities so that you’re maximizing your value to the Company.
Q. What is the question we haven’t asked that you’d most like to answer?
A. I don’t know what the question is, but the answer is that it has been an honor and a privilege to make contributions to this great Company that for almost 170 years has been the bedrock of this community and loomed large in the social fabric and economy of this state.