Earl Burnett was born on November 30, 1907 in Portland, Indiana. He was a graduate of the University of Michigan, receiving his Master Degree in Music. During his college days, Earl played in a dance band all over Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. At one point Mort Neff (from the TV show "Michigan Outdoors") was a member of his dance band. Earl played piano, base, banjo, guitar, and almost any other instrument that was needed. He held teaching positions in Ann Arbor and Mount Clemens before he was hired as Band Director and Head of the Music Department at Arthur Hill High School around 1939. He spent many nights and weekends designing and choreographing marching band formations for football games and parades. His wife, Marie, spent many weekends washing the spats that each band member wore for their performances. It was common to see fifty+ pair of spats hanging on their clothesline in their backyard. Earl and Marie were blessed with a son, Robert, in 1938 and a daughter, Mary, in 1947. Marie was a teacher also. She taught 6th grade at South Elementary until retirement in 1973.

 

During World War II, Earl worked at "the gun plant" in Saginaw during the summer months. He often told his family that the windows in the plant were covered with dark paper so that spies couldn't see in. After the war ended he got a job with the City of Saginaw for the summer months. He drove an old jeep and sprayed trees with DDT (which is not banned). In his later years, Earl taught the "book work" for Drivers Education. He believes that he taught almost every student at AHHS. Plus he taught students from the parochial schools during the summer months.

 

Earl loved to do wood work and ham radio. He built his own ham radio receiver and transmitter from kits. He could often be found in the basement on Graham Street talking to someone in New York, Georgia, Texas, or many other states via Morse code. He would send a postcard to everyone he spoke to and in return, received one from them. He prized those postcard. Earl also was the sponsor for the Ham Radio Club at Arthur Hill.

 

Earl Burnett passed away at St. Luke's Hospital on February 7, 1979.