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- The Charleston Daily Mail, 7 April 1939
PLUNGE FATAL TO L W.BURNS
School Official's Car Tumbles 1,000 Feet
GRANTSVILLE, April 7 (AP) - A 1,000-foot plunge of an automobile down a mountainside fatally injured L. W. Burns, 64-year-old state education department official, yesterday.
The car, witnesses said, suddenly left the road, state route No. 16, about a mile east of here and plunged in the bottom after turning over at least 11 times.
Burns, field representative of the state department's rehabilitation division and 20 years ago the Democratic nominee for state superintendent of schools, died en route to a Spencer hospital.
He was born at Meadow Bluff, Greenbrier county, Aug. 23, 1875. He was a graduate of West Virginia university.
Burns served for several years as superintendent of schools in Greenbrier county and also was superintendent of city schools at Grafton and Martinsburg. He joined the state department of education about four years ago.
He was president of the state education association in 1930-31 and a member of the state board of education from 1919 to 1925.
Funeral services will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at Rupert.
He Is survived by his widow; a daughter, Mrs. Gilbert Miller of Spring Gap, Md., and two brothers one of them L. G. Burns, a field officer for the state tax department.
The Charleston Gazette, 7 April 1939
Educator Killed In Auto Accident
L. W. Burns Succumbs Enroute to Hospital At Spencer
GRANTSVILLE, April 6.- (AP) - L. W. Burns, 64-year old field representative of the rehabilitation division of the state department of education was fatally injured today when his automobile left the road near here and rolled 1,000 feet down a mountainside.
Burns, returning to Charleston from a field trip, died enroute to a hospital at Spencer.
Witnesses said Burns' car suddenly left the road, state route No. 16. about one mile east of Grantsville, plunged through the guard rail and turned over at least 11 times before reaching the bottom.
Burns, prominent in educational work for 40 year, was a Democratic nominee for state superintendent of schools 20 years ago.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Big Clear Creek Baptist church at Rupert. The body will be at the home a brother, L. G. Burns of Crawley until funeral time.
Born at Meadow Bluff, Greenbrier county, Aug. 23, 1875, he attended rural schools of that county and was graduated from Concord State Normal, West Virginia university and the Teachers' college of Columbia university.
Mr. Burns served as superintendent of Greenbrier county schools from 1899-1906; principal of Marlinton public schools, 1906-1910; principal of Montgomery preparatory branch of West Virginia university, 1910-1913; superintendent of Grafton city schools, 1913-23; superintendent of Martinsburg city schools, 1923-1935; assistant superintendent of Berkeley county schools, 1935-1937.
Mr. Burns also served as president of the State Education association, 1930-31 and was a member of the state board of education from 1919-25.
The deceased had been a member of the Baptist church since he was 15 years old. He was a deacon of the Baptist temple, Charleston, also, a member of the Grafton and Martinsburg Rotary clubs and Greenbrier lodge No. 42, A. F. & A. M.
Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Grace Erwin Burns, a native of Marlinton; a daughter, Mrs. Gilbert Miller of Spring Gap, Md.; two brothers, L. G. Burns of Crawley, field officer of the state tax department, and L. D. Burns of Lewisburg; also a sister, Mrs. W. E. Scott of Lewisburg and a grandson.
State police investigated the accident.
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1875 - 1939 (63 years)
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