Former CMU administrator David Burdette dies
David Burdette, a former vice president for Finance and Administrative Services at Central Michigan University, died unexpectedly Jan. 10, according to a report.
WKMS, the NPR station at Murray State University, reported Burdette's death. He was serving as Murray State’s interim chief facilities officer. The cause of death was not reported.
According to his obituary, Burdette was a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and served 40 years in higher education.
Maxine Kent worked for Burdette at CMU during her time as associate vice president for Human Resources. She said Burdette served as VP for Finance and Administrative Services at CMU from January 2008 until 2013.
Kent called Burdette's death a "tremendous shock" and said he will be "terribly missed."
“David was one of the friendliest people I’ve ever known," she said. "He just walked up to total strangers and engaged them in conversation. He made friends wherever he went.”
Kent added that Burdette was a positive person and always saw "the glass half full." She said he was an outgoing and caring person whose focus for his job was not numbers, but people.
“He always cared about the policies that we made and the changes that we made and was always concerned with how they impact the people," Kent said.
Funeral services for Burdette take place in February in Virginia.
This story has been updated.
