Burton B Wright

A Love of the Classics and a Life of Curiosity Long before Burton built a career in technology, his intellectual world was shaped by the Classics. After graduating from Washington and Lee University, Burton earned a master’s degree in Classical Languages from the University of Kentucky and later pursued doctoral studies in Classics in Toronto. Although he eventually realized that an academic career was not the life he wanted, he never lost the curiosity and love of learning that had drawn him to the ancient world in the first place. The Classics suited the way Burton approached life. He wanted to understand things—ideas, people, technology and the world around him. He asked questions, looked beneath the surface and remained interested not simply in knowing what something was, but in understanding why and how it worked. His decision to leave academia was, in its own way, an expression of that intellectual independence. Burton and Lisa packed virtually everything they owned into a crate and a car and headed for California, where Burton entered the emerging technology industry. His subjects changed dramatically—from ancient languages and civilizations to computer chips and 3-D graphics—but the curious mind behind them did not. For Burton, education was never simply preparation for a career. Learning was part of a life well lived. His journey from the Classics to Silicon Valley reflected a willingness to explore, to change direction, to master something new and to remain curious about what might be around the next corner. Several quotations seem particularly fitting for the Burton remembered by his family and friends: “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” — Socrates, as presented by Plato “The unexamined life is not worth living.” — Socrates, Plato’s Apology “The mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting.” — Plutarch “The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.” — Seneca “Not all those who wander are lost.” — J.R.R. Tolkien Perhaps the simplest and most fitting is the first. Burton’s life was marked by a sense of wonder—the desire to learn something new, understand something complicated, take something apart intellectually and discover how it worked. “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” For Burton, it seems, wonder never really ended

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Burton’s memory to the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Foundation, reflecting both his enduring connection to the University of Kentucky and the hope that advances in cancer research and treatment will benefit others.