Harold and Dick Burke are cousins from Northwest Pennsylvania. They have been coming on work teams to KMBC for about 23 years. Harold framed up houses for a living, and Dick ran a furniture store and sold and installed carpet.

Added together they have come on about 120 work teams. In the last 23 years Harold has led most of the crews that framed up our buildings; and Dick, with some help, has installed most of the carpet. Their skills have been most valuable and have saved the college hundreds of thousands of dollars.

They not only came themselves but recruited many qualified work team members to come with them. These two men burned up many gallons of gasoline, wore out their vehicles, and received a lot of aching muscles in the process. They have been a big part of almost all the major building projects in the last 23 years. Harold and Dick have shown amazing stamina. If they promised to do a job you could count on it being done, and done well. Their word was as good as money in the bank.

On one occasion Harold was leading a crew to frame up and roof a six apartment complex. The first day on the job he stepped backward into a hole and fell on his elbow. He complained to his wife Joan that his arm hurt. She pulled out some flexal linament to rub on the sore area. This was done every night for two weeks until the job was done and the shingles were on the roof. After going home to Pennsylvania his family doctor told him that he had broken his elbow! Wow!

He built a six-unit apartment complex with a broken arm, and his only medical treatment was Flexal linament. They say it takes a lot to keep a good man down!

KMBC owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to these two men for their tireless work.

Their work has transformed our campus. May God bless these committed cousins for the phenomenal contribution they have made to KMBC.