Charlie Burdell
Email Charlie.  

Spouse: Ryan Durkan
Children: yes
Home: 3817 48th Ave. NE, Seattle,WA 98105

This photo was taken while I was golfing at Bandon Dunes Resort, which is "golf heaven"! Its location on the Pacific Coast of Southern Oregon creates golf similar to the seaside links golf courses in Scotland. In 1962, if any of you had bet me $10,000 that I'd wind up in 2012 as an avid golfer, I would have taken the bet and you would have won! My lovely wife of 21 years and I play together every Sunday and I find time to play 3 or 4 times a week!!

After recovering from our "all night boat cruise" following graduation, I was shipped off to Menlo Park California, for a summer "college preparatory" semester at Menlo College. I hated it! It was my first extended absence from Mercer Island, I missed everything about the Island, waterskiing on the lake, Nancy Green and getting to experience the World's Fair.

When I returned, I was amazed that the Island had not changed in my long, three month absence! Instead of going back to Menlo College for the regular first semester, I registered at the University of Washington and joined the S.A.E. fraternity. All of you who know me well, know that I fit right into fraternity life. I lived it up to the hilt, became a regular at the many taverns and rarely cracked a book!

My profligate life during my first year in college put me on academic probation by June of 1963. My worst grades were in Spanish, three straight D's! This so incensed my father that within about 48 hours of receiving the grades in the mail, I was on a West Coast Airlines plane headed to Mexico City with a very sore arm caused by all the shots I had to take! My father's parting words to me were "I don't care what you do, but don't come back until you can speak Spanish".

I got lucky, I shared a cab in Mexico City with an English speaking SERUTAN (remember "nature spelled backwards") salesman who told me a very wealthy family was looking for an English speaking person to tutor their sons in English. I applied for the job and was hired. I lived with the servants who spoke only Spanish and played soccer or baseball with the boys for a few hours each day. I spoke only Spanish to the servants and English to the boys. As my Spanish improved, the family invited me into the "big house" for special occasions. After about 4 months I was pretty fluent in Spanish, returned to the UW and got straight A's in almost all my classes!

I joined ROTC at the UW to avoid being sent to Vietnam as a "grunt". I was "gung ho" as a military guy, my favorite Uncle had served his entire life in the US Army. I was drafted and was being sent to Vietnam as a second lieutenant, but an African American physician at Fort Lawton saved my life. During my intake physical he asked me if I ever had back pain. I said no. He measured my legs anyway and found that one was about an inch shorter than the other. The next thing I knew I was deemed medically unfit to serve in the military. I am convinced, to this day, that doctor was doing everything he could do to prevent young men from being sent to their death in Vietnam.

Unfortunately, many young men and women died there, including one who went to school with some of us. Sometime in 1968 or 1969, the cover of Life magazine had the pictures of all the Americans killed the previous week in Vietnam. I looked at each photo and was stunned to see the photo of Don Ide. He never went to high school with us, but was in my sixth grade class. Don's death galvanized my opposition to the war and support for the anti war cause.

In law school I got pneumonia, married my nurse, and had three wonderful daughters. Two are married and each has a son and a daughter. One of my grandsons is named after me and one of my granddaughters is named Lois, after my mom. I practiced law, got divorced, and was appointed to the bench. I left the bench in 1990 because my brother was suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease and I needed to make more money to be able to help him. I joined a firm of former judges serving as private arbitrators and mediators. A few years later, I began my own private arbitration and mediation service called Judicial Dispute Resolution. We've been in business for 15 years and I see no reason to stop now!

Soon after I left the bench, I went to a wedding and met the most wonderful woman in the world, Theresa Ryan Durkan. She's one of Washington's most accomplished land use attorneys. We've been married for 21 years and are looking forward to at least 21 more years. We both are avid golfers, she's much better than I and works as hard as Tiger Woods on her game. Ryan's daughter, Taryn, was 3 years old when we married, so I consider her my fourth daughter. Taryn is an entertainment reporter and producer in Hollywood.

In July 2011, Donna Palmer Miles called me and asked for my help to arrange our 50th reunion. I was reluctant at first, but wonderful Donna, in her sweet way, cajoled me into agreeing to help. Its been lots of fun finding all of you and challenging you to show up. I'm looking forward to seeing you all on July 28, 2012 at Broadmoor Golf Club!!

updated 7/5/12