This fund was established in memory of Alice, Marvin, Cindy and Daryl Burbach. Alice and Marvin were lifelong teachers in Kansas and several other states. In between teaching, they tended to their farm in western Kansas with their three sons. To Marvin, especially, education was critically important and drove him to work hard and invest wisely so that each of his sons would have the opportunity to get a quality college degree.
His hard work was imparted on his sons as they collectively achieved two Doctorates and several Masters degrees. Their middle son, Daryl, chose to use his degree in Educational Administration and his talents in Mathematics to carry on Alice and Marvin’s passion for teaching to a second generation. Daryl retired from teaching in Wichita in 2016 after having taught thousands of children at middle, high, and collegiate levels, including at Wichita State University.
His wife, Cindy, who held a Doctorate in Public Health, spent much of her career working for Wichita Public Schools and the Sedgwick County Health Department. She also spent many years teaching nursing at Wichita State. Sadly, Cindy, Marvin and Daryl all passed away within six years of each other. However, Daryl and Cindy’s daughter-in-law, Jami Burbach, is now extending the Burbach legacy of teaching to a third generation. Jami has taught for over 15 years and now specializes in intervention at the elementary level to help boost struggling students. Jami, and her husband, Collyer, grew up in Wichita as fans of the Shocker baseball, basketball and volleyball teams, and both attended WSU for undergraduate work. Collyer continues his ties to WSU working for Airbus Americas, the original partner at WSU’s Innovation Campus.
Jami and Collyer are very aware that the teaching profession is not one filled with financial opportunities, but they believe teachers play a vital role in shaping the future generations of our society and our nation. As such, they have pledged this scholarship, founded on the success of their parents and grandparents, to help enable and encourage future generations of teachers.
