W. Rodney Burkley Jr. ’57

W. Rodney Burkley Jr. ’57 of Palos Verdes Estates, California, passed away on December 4, 2018. Rod grew up in York, Pennsylvania. At Dartmouth he majored in English, joined Delta Kappa Epsilon, and graduated in 1959. Rod attended the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School and served as a first lieutenant in the artillery in South Korea. He graduated from Harvard Law School with a J.D. in 1964. After moving to Los Angeles, Rod worked for the Los Angeles County counsel’s office. In the 1970s Rod was managing partner of Barrett, Stearns, Collins, Gleason, & Kinney. During the 1980s Rod was founder and managing partner of Burkley, Moore, Greenberg & Lyman. He was founder and most recently practiced with Burkley, Brandin, Swatik, & Keesey in Torrance, California. Rod was a lifelong baseball fan, an avid skier, and a lover of fine wines, spirited conversation, and a good read. Los Angeles, Paris, and New Orleans were his favorite cities. A dynamic storyteller, he was loved by many and will be remembered for his sweet kindness and quick wit. Above all Rod loved his family and the rule of law. He devoted many hours to H.E.L.P., an organization empowering seniors, their families, and caregivers. He was board chair, and his strong leadership and longtime support were vital to sustaining important programs and services. Rod is survived by his wife, Lauren, a son, four children from a previous marriage, and eight grandchildren.


Portfolio

Book cover for Conflict Resilience with blue and orange colors
Alumni Books
New titles from Dartmouth writers (May/June 2025)
Woman wearing collard shirt and blazer
Origin Story
Physicist Sara Imari Walker, Adv’10, goes deep on the emergence of life.
Commencement and Reunions

A sketchbook

Illustration of baseball player swinging a bat
Ben Rice ’22
A New York Yankee on navigating professional baseball

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