Raymond Burse '73 speaks at Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance

RELEASED: Jan. 11, 2007

DANVILLE, KY—Alumnus Raymond M. Burse, vice president and general counsel at General Electric Consumer and Industrial in Louisville, was the featured speaker for Centre College's 2007 celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The program was held on Monday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. in Newlin Hall of the Norton Center for the Arts on campus. A public reception immediately followed in the Norton Center lobby.

"Raymond Burse is one of Centre College's true heroes," says Centre President John Roush. "An outstanding student, athlete and leader while attending Centre, Mr. Burse distinguished himself further as a Rhodes Scholar, a leader in higher education, and, most recently, as an attorney serving in corporate America. He represents the very, very best of what we hope to accomplish in the lives of all our students." (In the last 50 years, Centre has produced two-thirds of Kentucky's Rhodes Scholars.)

Burse served as general counsel for GE Consumer Products from 2002 to 2004 and General Counsel for GE Appliances from May 2002 to September 2002. He joined GE in 1995 as senior counsel—commercial law. Before joining GE, Burse was a partner in the law firm of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, based in Louisville. He also served as president of Kentucky State University.

Burse received a J.D. degree from the Harvard Law School in 1978 and a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry/mathematics from Centre College in 1973. Also in 1973, he was selected as a Rhodes Scholar and studied for two years at St. John’s College, Oxford University in England.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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