Wednesday, Aug 29, 2018
Longtime employee dedicated more than five decades to Rider
Kathy Burd '66, who was employed by Rider for more than 50 years — beginning the year she graduated from Rider, 1966 — passed away on Thursday, Aug. 23. She was 72.
Kathy received her associate's degree in secretarial science from Rider in 1966 and then began working in a dentist’s office. Unsatisfied with the job, she returned to Rider in October to take a full-time administrative position in the Office of Director of Alumni and College Relations. For the more than five decades that followed, Kathy provided constant support to her colleagues in the communications office and around the University as a whole.
Slot machines and the lottery were among her many hobbies, which also included boating, gardening and her pets. Fittingly, Kathy organized bus trips to Atlantic City for several years as part of a fundraiser that supported Rider's baseball program. At Rider, she was also instrumental in helping to organize the Mercer Science and Engineering Fair, which the University has hosted annually for many years.
Kathy retired in 2016. Earlier that year, on the occasion of her being honored as the then longest-serving honoree at the annual Longtimers Reception, Kathy told The Rider News, “In this day and age, I don’t think people stay in their jobs long. Not 50 years. But I say, I hope everybody understands how good Rider is, and the friendships you can make, the experiences you can get from others, the knowledge that they have. Use it towards your passion, whatever it is.
A longtime resident of Yardville, N.J., Kathy was born in Trenton and graduated from Notre Dame High School in Lawrence before attending Rider. She was predeceased by her parents, Frank and Florence Grudzina, and her husband, Nolan C. Burd Jr. She is survived by several cousins, nieces, nephews, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law.
Interment will be held privately at St. Hedwig Cemetery in Ewing. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Kathy's memory to the Burlington County Animal Alliance by visiting www.bcaaofnj.org.