On September 6, 2001, one of the most beloved and respected professors in the School of Kinesiology passed away from an aggressive form of cancer at the very young age of 47. Allen W. Burton, Ph.D., professor of developmental/adapted physical education (DAPE) and motor skills assessment, was an extraordinary scholar and teacher who had the gift of integrating research, teaching, and professional and community service into his academic career. He was a prolific researcher in the area of assessment, motor development, motor learning and DAPE, and well-known throughout the international academic community for his seminal contributions to the literature. He was a revered and sought-after teacher and adviser who was passionately dedicated to his classes and students. Both in his education and his professional work, Dr. Burton recognized the importance of interdisciplinary partnerships in critical research and dissemination endeavors in his field of study.
In honor of Dr. Burton, the North American Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (NAFAPA) has dedicated a new prestigious award to Dr. Burton. The Dr. Allen Burton New Investigator Award will be presented for the first time at the organization’s 2020 Symposium at Brock University in St. Catherine’s, Ontario. The award will recognize “a new investigator who has begun and is very likely to continue making significant scientific contributions to the field of adapted physical activity.”
In her letter of support for the award, Beth Lewis, Ph.D., director of the School of Kinesiology, wrote:
Allen was a dedicated and passionate scholar who selflessly strived to advance the scientific knowledge in Adapted Physical Activity. More importantly, Allen consciously worked towards benefiting the lives of people living with disabilities. Naming the NAFAPA New Investigator Award after Allen will celebrate his life and work. Most importantly, it will offer new investigators in Adapted Physical Activity the opportunity to consider grounding their work on the highest humanitarian values as Allen did.
Dr. Burton received a master’s degree in motor development with Professor Jack Keogh from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a doctorate in motor control and development with Professor Marjorie Woollacott at the University of Oregon. He began his career at the University of Minnesota in 1984 in the Institute of Child Development, and two years later became an assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology. He was promoted to associate professor in 1992 and full professor in 2000 at the age of 46.
