By Mary Frances McCarthy
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 5/20/04)

In 2001, at the beginning of his 40th year at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Principal Al Burch told the HERALD, "In about two or three years I’ll be ready to retire."

Three years later, the O’Connell family is saying goodbye to Burch, a much loved and respected coach and administrator who has worked at the school for all but four years of its existence. An alumni baseball game and barbecue are planned for June 5 at the school.

When his career began, Burch never imagined he would spend 32 years as an administrator.

After graduating from the University of Corpus Christi in Texas with a bachelor’s degree in education, Burch said he thought "Everyone would hire me because I was so good at sports." Burch attended the university on a football scholarship.

When coaching jobs didn’t fall at his feet as he thought they would, he took a job at Surrattsville Junior High in Clinton, Md., teaching history, science and English.

In 1961, Burch learned of an opening in physical education at O’Connell through Bob Rusevlyan, athletic director. Burch took the job, teaching health and physical education and coaching football, baseball and basketball. Under his leadership, the O’Connell 1963-65 baseball teams were Catholic League Champions and gained nationwide recognition in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., for winning 42 consecutive games.

Coinciding with the beginning of coeducation at Bishop O’Connell, Burch was named assistant principal under Msgr. McMurtrie in 1972.

"I owe a lot to Msgr. McMurtrie," Burch said. "He saw it was my dream to keep coaching, but he saw something in me that maybe I didn’t see."

While Burch was assistant principal, coaching three sports and raising three kids, he went back to school to get a master’s degree in education at American University. "And I still haven’t slept well since then," Burch said.

His coaching career ended in 1977, when he was named principal of O’Connell by former Arlington Bishop Thomas J. Welsh.

In the first 10 years Burch was at O’Connell, the school grew from 1,000 students to 1,600 students, with a wait list 200 students long. In 1982, Bishop Welsh opened Paul VI Catholic High School to ease the strain on O’Connell.

Now, in a diocese with three diocesan high schools and three private Catholic high schools, Burch said, "The chemistry of O’Connell is what makes it different." With more than 110 teachers, 12 are Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 18 are retired military personnel and 28 are O’Connell graduates. Burch said he has prided himself by being able to "put talent where they belong."

"Surrounding myself with great people has been the key to my success," he said. "Sitting back and watching them work has been a joy."

To Burch, O’Connell’s teachers are all first draft teachers. He has organized his school much like he would a baseball or football team. Only the best are good enough for him.

"That chemistry, and people who want to be here, I’m proud of that," Burch said. "We’ve been able to maintain that we are a Catholic school." Burch said O’Connell has had more than 65 alumni who have pursued religious vocations.

Dr. Timothy McNiff, diocesan superintendent of schools, said that Burch’s leadership "epitomizes the uniqueness required of those individuals who have been given the task of ensuring our Catholic schools are institutions of both academic success and Christian values."

O’Connell was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in 1993 as a Blue Ribbon School and Burch was honored by The Washington Post in 1997 when he was named a "Principal of Excellence."

In his retirement, Burch said, he will miss the students above all else. "I enjoy seeing them," he said. "I think O’Connell comes closer to that term, family. People return to O’Connell. They’re very happy here."

Burch looks forward to continuing his relationship with Bishop O’Connell High School and working with the alumni. In ongoing renovations at O’Connell, he still hopes to see an Alumni of Distinction hall. "There are people out there doing great things." O’Connell has over 15,000 graduates. "They’re really making a positive impact on society. I hear good stuff."

All three of Burch’s children — Kenny, Karen and Kristy — are among those graduates. Burch hopes that one day, his five grandchildren, "if they study and work hard," will go to O’Connell too, and become members of the O’Connell family.

"I consider myself blessed and fortunate," Burch said. "It’s been a great job. I didn’t have to work to make O’Connell classy. It’s always been a class act."