Lakeside School

During the Upper School commencement on June 10, Rob Burgess, a Lakeside maintenance maestro and theater impresario for nearly half a century, was recognized by Board of Trustees Chair Judge Sean O’Donnell ’90 with the Willard J. Wright ’32 Distinguished Service Award. The text of the citation honoring Burgess follows.

A consummate character actor, Rob Burgess has employed his creative talents to play an astonishing variety of roles in his 47 years at Lakeside — notably, but far from exclusively, from maintenance foreman who developed incomparable institutional knowledge of the campus’s inner workings to director of 25 plays who mentored and inspired generations of students.

Rob arrived at Lakeside in 1978 for a summer job in the maintenance department, the year before he graduated American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Continuing his studies at Cornish, he worked evenings as a janitor at the Middle School. An acting career didn’t promise a steady paycheck, and Rob wanted a family. So he became full-time at Lakeside, and he and Melanie Taylor, a costume designer, married on the steps of McKay Chapel in 1984, “with the reception in the Refectory that I waxed the floor for!” In time they celebrated the Lakeside graduations of lifer daughters Madison ’05 and Lily ’08, who grew up on campus, as Rob liked to joke, “in the caretaker’s house of a grand estate!”

Facilities Director Dan Dawkins, his supervisor of the last 17 years, says that Rob has thrown himself into every aspect of maintenance. “He ran to our rescue day or night,” applying a “very high IQ, an uncanny memory, unmatched and incredible work ethic” and early and advanced computer skills.

His smarts and can-do spirit — and fun-loving, infectious personality — have endeared Rob to faculty, staff and students. He became the longest-serving staff employee in Lakeside’s history, eagerly stepping in where called: Global Service Learning co-leader to Costa Rica; chaperone for summer Shakespeare classes; orienteering club co-leader; emcee/troubadour/entertainer for Rummage and other Lakeside functions; member of the Strategic Planning Committee (where he presented the idea of purchasing all the homes between the Upper and Middle School campuses); contributor of the word “spirit” to the Lakeside mission. And one of his favorites: ringing the Commencement bells.

His biggest creative undertaking: two decades supporting and overseeing student performing arts. Al Snapp, longtime arts department head, considered it “a real coup” when Rob agreed to direct Upper School drama productions beginning in 1988. Lakesiders also loved seeing Rob himself perform, to critical acclaim, on Seattle-area stages including ACT, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and Seattle Children’s Theatre. Snapp says Rob’s Lakeside productions were often challenging — sometimes tackling social issues, often requiring physical comedy or improvisation. Several former students credit Rob for going on to Hollywood careers. A frequent refrain by alums, as from Colleen Roberton ’00, is that Rob’s mentoring shaped not just the way they pursued the arts, but also the way they treated other human beings. “He encouraged, coached, listened, laughed (boy, did he laugh!), and otherwise helped us discover what it was we had to say.”

Whether operating on stage or behind the scenes, Rob has played an irreplaceable role in Lakeside life. Today, in recognition of his long tenure of dedication and service that go beyond a job description, the Lakeside Board of Trustees honors Rob Burgess with the Willard J. Wright ’32 Distinguished Service Award.