The school, which opened in 1934, was named for educator Jeremiah E. Burke, the 9th superintendent of Boston Public Schools, who died in 1931. Constructed during the Great Depression, the Burke benefited from the craftsmanship of WPA workers, who were responsible for the design and carved woodwork of the main foyer and offices. Handmade furniture and a carved copy of Washington’s Farewell Address on oak panels in the lobby added to the elegance of the entrance. In 1949, new panels were added to illustrate the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima and to honor the women and faculty members who served in WWII.
Dr. Dorothea Lyons was appointed headmaster in the late 1950s. Determined to carry on a tradition of academic excellence, she focused on college prep with language requirements and rigorous admission standards second only to those of Girls’ Latin School. The Burke enrolled only girls until 1972 when it became coeducational. In 2024, the Boston School Committee was presented with a proposal from alumni and members of the community to rename the Burke the Dr. Albert D. Holland High School of Technology in honor of the principal who helped turn the failing school around during the 1980s.
The most widely known and celebrated graduate of the Burke was singer Donna Summer (1948-2012). Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines in Dorchester in 1948, she grew up in the Mission Hill neighborhood. As a young girl, she sang gospel music at the Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston. Summer attended the Burke until a few months before graduation, when she left to pursue her music career. In 1983, she returned to the school and was awarded her high school diploma. School officials credited her life experience and coursework in drama and voice toward her unfulfilled graduation requirements. Summer’s career had taken off in the mid-1970s when she became widely known as the Queen of Disco. She won five Grammys and sold more than one hundred million records worldwide. Her memoir, Ordinary Girl, co-authored with Marc Eliot, was published in 2003.
