About Gary
Gary Burks
December 10, 1954 - March 10, 2021
Gary, known endearingly by many as “GB”, was born in 1954 into a working class (blue collar) family in Indiana. He made sure to incorporate his mid-western roots and values into his children’s upbringing. He was a star athlete, sang in his school choir, and was an accomplished Eagle Scout. The first in his family to go to college, he graduated from Indiana University in 1977 and went on to work for Anheuser-Busch, first in Tampa, Florida, then Norfolk, Virginia, Chicago, Illinois, and Scottsdale, Arizona. In 1981, he and his wife moved to Northern California as newlyweds and he went on to become a very successful businessman and leader in the community, named Redding Chamber of Commerce Businessman of the Year in 1990, and also serving as Rotary Club President (‘91-92), a board member for the Redding Colt’s 45 baseball team, and Board Director at Columbia Bank (previously Merchants Bank of Commerce and Redding Bank of Commerce). He loved the weather—being able to wear shorts almost year round—and said he never wanted to leave. He built an amazing network of friends and colleagues that became chosen family. As General Manager and Vice President at Foothill Distributing, later Blach Beverage—a local beverage distributor—for nearly 37 years, he had an unrivaled work ethic, and took pride in being the first one in the office and the last one to leave. He loved sports (understatement), had a charismatic personality, and could have a conversation with a brick wall. He was named by some as the “unofficial mayor” of Redding, and couldn’t go anywhere without running into someone he knew. He is survived by his wife, Ramona, his daughter Courtney (Jonathan), his son Ryan (Breanne), and two grandchildren, Kinsley and Knox. For more about Gary’s life and legacy in the North State, see here and here.
About Blue Collar Scholar
Blue collar workers are the foundation of American infrastructure and the economy. Blue collar scholars are our next generation workforce and include students from working-class families and often times first-generation college students entering into trades or higher education. The Gary Burks Memorial Scholarship was established as a memorial scholarship by the Rotary Club of Redding in honor of Gary Burks, who was long recognized for his service, leadership, and involvement throughout the North State. Gary was proud to be a blue-collar worker: he worked hard to get educated and grow into an industry leader with Anheuser-Busch, then later leading the local Northern California distributorship through decades of success and growth. Many blue collar workers often go overlooked when it comes to scholarship and recognition, so this fund is proud to invest in local students seeking training, certificates, and higher education in careers as blue-collar workers, in the industries of sales and service, hospitality, trucking, craft trades, manufacturing, agricultural and natural resources, military service, and public safety. Scholarships will be awarded to local Northern California students at the Rotary Club of Redding’s Annual Scholarship Banquet, hosted each Spring, for students registered for Summer or Fall attendance.
