Posted by Cathy Gowdy on Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at 06:01:33 :
Independent Journal
Monday, October 8, 1979
Page 4
David B. Burbank
David Burgess Burbank Sr., lifelong Fallon rancher and West Marin civic leader, died Saturday at a local hospital after a lengthy illness.
Burbank followed in the steps of his famous uncle, Luther Burbank, using botanical experiments to improve ranching techniques.
Burbank, 80, had been in failing health for three years. He was born on the family ranch on Burbank Lane on the Marin-Sonoma border and spent most of his life there.
In his youth, he often traveled to Santa Rosa to work with his uncle’s botanical experiments. He had considered following in his footsteps, but after graduating from University of California at Davis in 1921, he returned to operate the family ranch.
Burbank had many fond memories of his uncle and recalled a day in 1915 when Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone and Thomas Edison came to visit. They had been attending the World’s Fair in San Francisco.
In West Marin, Burbank used his experiments to help other ranchers divide large fields to improve pasture land for cattle and sheep. He also assisted many neighbors in building dams for water conservation.
On the family ranch, Burbank once grew potatoes but concentrated largely on sheep, dairy and beef cattle. When poultry was a major industry, Burbank had 6,000 hens on the ranch.
His son, David B. Burbank Jr., now operates the ranch that has been in the family since 1854.
Burbank was a member of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau and helped organize the Marin County Farm Bureau. He served more than 20 years on the Marin County Soil Conservation Board, resigning in 1969 because law required retirement at the age of 70.
Burbank served on the Clark Grammar School District Board of Trustees for nine years until it consolidated with the Tomales Elementary School District. He served 12 years on the Tomales High School District Board from 1928 to 1940.
Burbank also served 10 years on the Marin County Personnel Commission until 1968.
He also belonged to the Petaluma Rotary Club, Petaluma chapter of Sons in Retirement and the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco.
He and his wife of 58 years, Amy Church Burbank, were married at her family’s home at Two Rock.
In addition to his wife and son, he is survived by two daughters, Beverly Justis of Santa Rosa and Alice Mary Claydon of Jackson; a brother, Herbert Burbank of Petaluma; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A funeral will be held Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Parent Funeral Chapel, Petaluma. Private burial will be at Tomales Presbyterian Church Cemetery.
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