The Burnett Banner, the House of Burnett Inc
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THE BU RNETT BAN NER B Burnett Newsletter Edition No 9 (including House of Burnett March 2010 BURNETT ART GALLERY There are a large number of talented artists amongst the Burnetts and it is the intention to include one or two Burnett works in each edition of the Banner. Since this has only been a very recent idea, I have had no time to seek contributions but I am using this opportunity to invite Burnetts to submit work to me for inclusion in future Banners. I have to point out the editor’s decision for inclusion is final and space will be limited. However, I welcome all contributions, regardless of the form of art, and would be grateful if they could be accompanied by the title of the work and the briefest of CV’s of the artist. For the opening of the Gallery, and for reasons that include appropriateness, I have selected a painting of Crathes which was given to me by the late Ruth Burnett Phillips who so sadly died recently and whose obituary is later in this edition of the Banner. The painting hangs beside my desk in my study. My wife, Fiona, took up painting only very recently and her first painting, The Dotty Mug, hangs in our kitchen at House of Crathes. Whilst there are professionals waiting in the wings for inclusions in future editions of the Banner, I also thought that it Crathes Castle would be nice to start this column with two The Dotty Mug Burnetts who have worked in art solely for their own pleasure. **************************************************************************************************************************** GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN MONBODDO HIGHLAND FESTIVAL AT LINVILLE, NC As many readers are aware, we were not able to I am very pleased to report that Alexander and stage our production of Monboddo the Musical at Crathes during the Gathering in 2009, but we have Vinny are honoured to have been invited by now planned to present it in Aberdeen during the Frank Vance, General Manager & Vice- week beginning September 6th. To assist in President of Operations Grandfather Mountain promotion of the production, we regard it as Highland Festival at Linville NC to attend as essential to have a good website. Michael Burnett Special Guests the Grandfather Mountain from California and very much involved in the film Games on July 9th and 10th. This will be industry, has kindly given us his website Alexander’s first visit to a Highland Games in www.Monboddo.com which is currently under the United States since we visited SantaRosa construction and will provide all the necessary about 30 years ago. Please note in ‘EVENTS’ information in due course. that The House of Burnett will have a tent at the Gathering. James Burnett of Leys RUTH BURNETT PHILLIPS member of the Edenton Garden Club and was a talented flower arranger. We were all very sorry to hear of the sudden death of Ruth Phillips. Ruth has attended many of our She loved her Scottish Heritage and looked forward gatherings at Crathes to her family reunions in Scotland every four years. even since they were She enjoyed being surrounded by her family at the inaugurated in 1992 beach and loved her garden and the abundant and we were so wildlife on the Albemarle Sound. She treasured her pleased that she and family and many friends, was a loving Mother and many others of her Grandmother, and brought great joy to many lives. family were here last year. We received such ********************************************* a nice Christmas card including so many DEATH OF A PREVIOUS OWNER OF compliments about our MUCHALLS CASTLE family and to which I was about to respond I was sorry to hear of the recent death at 88 of when I received this Geraldine Simpson who was the previous owner of sad news. Whilst I Muchalls Castle. Built by Alexander Burnett of Leys could add so very much about our friendship and and his son Thomas in the 16th century, it was how kind Ruth was to my daughter, Eliza, and me purchased from Geraldine by Glenda Cormack in when we attended Grandfather Mountain Games the 1980s and it is now owned by Michael and in 2001, below is the obituary which appeared in Janet Hogan. Geraldine was a member of the the press. However, I am constantly reminded of Pringle family who owned the eponymous her by her painting of Crathes which she gave me prestigious knitwear business and she was the many years ago and which hangs in my study close grand-daughter of Robert Pringle who managed the to my desk firm. She had a passion for Scottish Castles and, prior to moving to Muchalls, she took over James C A Burnett of Leys Fetteresso Castle, near Stonehaven, running it with her mother as a temperance hotel. Ruth Iris Burnett Phillips of Edenton, formally of Burgaw, passed away suddenly on Jan. 11, 2010 at She was a close friend of the Scottish author, Nigel her home. Ruth was preceded in death by her Tranter, and had a particular love of horses and mother and father, Ruth Deaton Burnett and John foxes. Fiona and I visited Geraldine and her Henry Burnett; her husband, Carey Alvin (Al) husband at Muchalls on at least two occasions of Phillips; son, John Gilbert Phillips; granddaughter, which one was to deliver to her a fox which we Jennifer Ann Phillips; and her sisters, Annetta had reared from a cub. Somewhat surprisingly, the Collins and Phyllis Burnett. She is survived by her cub was handed to us by one of the estate son, Thomas Carey Phillips; his daughter, Barrett gamekeepers as it had been caught in a trap. We Deaton Phillips, his son, Richard Carey Phillips; and kept him in the spacious dog’s pen adjacent to our by her daughter, Cynthia (Cyndi) Phillips Fletcher; house until we heard that Geraldine had an affinity husband, Jeffrey R. Fletcher; their son, William for foxes. We offered him to her and her husband, Burnett Fletcher and their daughter, Claiborne Maurice, and they willingly accepted him. He lived Carey Fletcher; and John Phillips' sons, Daniel in the house for much of the time and I well Carey Phillips, Jonathan David Phillips, daughter, remember the strong fox smell in the castle on Heather Marie Deaton Phillips; and great-grandson, subsequent visits. Hayden Reid Niles Phillips. Ruth is also survived by her brothers, Gilbert Burnett and Julian Burnett; and her sisters, Susie Jones, Sylvia Crippen and Mary Elizabeth Quaintance; and their spouses and many nieces and nephews. Ruth Phillips graduated from King Smith College in Washington, DC and attended Greensboro College. She was a longtime member of Edenton Baptist Church and St. Paul's Episcopal Church choirs and Muchalls Castle the North Carolina Choral Society. She was a gifted artist and enjoyed the Little Theatre. She was a James C A Burnett of Leys GETTING TO KNOW OUR OFFICERS AND BOARD LELAND L BURNETT - Secretary After high school I spent three years in Leland L. Burnett assumed the US Army as an the duties as Secretary of Integrated Fire the House of Burnett in Control System September of 2005. His Maintenance Great Grandfather, Dr. Mechanic (basically James K. Burnett came an electronics from VA through the technician). Cumberland Gap to KY, in the 1860’s. Leland the son I then earned a BEE from Georgia Tech, married of James Henry Karr Barbara, and later got an MSEE from San Jose State Burnett was born in 1940 University. I’ve worked primarily as a systems in Lincoln Co. KY. In the engineer or project manager for most of my career. early 1960’s he went into I retired from NASA in 1997, but a few years later the US Navy where he found myself working for Lockheed Martin for remained for 30 years, retiring in 1991. He and his another nine years from which I just retired (again). wife Nancy moved to Door Co. WI to property they had purchased years earlier. I became involved in the House of Burnett in the 1980s, and over the years have served as He served on the Door Co. Veterans Service Newsletter Editor, Secretary, and as a Director. Council for 6 years and did some lobbying for Barbara and I have put up a HOB tent at Santa Veterans issues in Washington DC. Rosa or Pleasanton California each year for the past 15 or so years. Leland has 5 children, 9 granddaughters, 5 grandsons and 16 great grand children. His wife In 1983 we visited Scotland for the first time. When Nancy lost her 7 year battle with cancer in Jan. we returned, I innocently remarked to a Scottish- 2007. Canadian neighbor that I thought it would be fun to learn to play the bagpipes. The next thing I After his retirement in 1991 he started a serious knew, I was spending Wednesday nights, practice search into the Burnett side of his family. He chanter in hand, taking lessons from a piper in the travelled throughout Kentucky, Virginia and Prince Charles Pipe Band. I subsequently attended Tennessee, visiting libraries, historical societies, the Glasgow [Scotland] College California Summer county and state record facilities and searching School of Piping for five years, and have been in newspaper records. Making a stop at any reunion pipe bands for the last 15 years - currently with the or gathering he came upon. Thru this search he was Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Pipes and Drums. able to trace his lineage back to 1323. Leland is known in some of the Burnett circles as the Burnett My hobbies are my grandchildren, piping, and story teller.