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The 100-year-old oak tree at Christopher Columbus High School is being dedicated to longtime staffer Carter Burrus.
On August 15, a plaque with the inscription “Carter Burrus Perpetual Oak” will be dedicated at the Columbus Campus, 3000 SW 87th Ave. It will be located on the ground below the majestic tree. Carter is a 1962 graduate who returned to teach at the school in 1968.
Tom Kruczek, President of Columbus, said the tree is at the center of student and staff life, as is the “legend” Carter Burrus. Football players gather under the tree and the school’s band plays from this “sacred space.”
The school’s president imagines future generations seeing the plaque and asking, “`Who was Carter?’ At a school, memories can fade quickly, so this marker will help guarantee Carter’s legacy at Columbus.” It will be a fitting tribute to the man who taught at the school for a total of 35 years, teaching Florida history, one of the school’s most popular courses. Today, he is a ninth grade guidance counselor.
John Lynskey, Columbus’ Ambassador for Alumni Affairs, said Carter was the first alumni to return to teach at the school, laying the groundwork for a total of 50 other alumni to do the same, including Lynskey himself. John was Carter’s student.
“Carter is an absolute symbol of Christopher Columbus High School,” he said. “I would not be here without Carter Burrus.”
Carter, who has a “C” tattooed on his arm for Columbus, is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and is overjoyed that the school has chosen a tree as a monument. He loves nature and has vowed to protect it.
“I am honored and humbled,” said the 79-year-old Carter, speaking while on a trip to the Everglades about the dedication and his connection to Columbus. “It’s been one of the greatest experiences of all time.”
