Aloha!
Dick B.'s son Ken here.
I maintain the "Dick B.: The Real 'Power' Behind Alcoholics Anonymous" blog that my dad started many years ago.
My dad, Richard G. Burns (pen name: "Dick B."), passed away one year ago on September 12, 2015.
Here is the Obituary for him that I had published in The Maui News:
Richard G. Burns, 90
Richard G. Burns, of
Kihei, Maui, Hawaii, passed away on September 12, 2015. He was born on May 15,
1925, in Stockton, California. He was the only child of Earl Gordon Burns (1895-1971)
and Alberta Viola (Whale) Burns (1894-1980).
He was predeceased by his wife,
Eloise Estelle Beil (1928-2001), to whom he was married 1951-1985. He is
survived by two children, Kenneth and Donald; and Don’s two daughters, Emily
and Jessica.
Richard was a U.S. Army Sergeant in
WW II.
He received an A.A. degree, with
honors, from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1948. He also received
a Phi Beta Kappa key in his Junior year at Berkeley. He received his A.B.
degree from Stanford University in 1949; and also received his Juris Doctor
degree at Stanford in 1951.
Richard was an attorney with Clausen
& Burns, San Francisco, 1951-1961; and was in private practice in Corte
Madera, California, from 1961-1986.
After going on a guided tour of the
Bible Lands with his son Ken around 1980, Richard became a Bible-believing
Christian.
Later felled by alcoholism, he entered
Alcoholics Anonymous in April 1986, sponsored more than 100 men in A.A., and
had more than 29 years of continuous clean and sober time at his death.
In 1990,
a Christian A.A. member asked Richard, “Dick, did you know that A.A. came from
the Bible?” Researching that question launched a 25-year quest. He founded Good
Book Publishing Company in 1991. Using the pen name “Dick B.,” he wrote 46
titles and more than 1,750 articles, and presented numerous audio and videos,
on the topic of the roles played by God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible in
early A.A.’s astonishing success. His best known title is: “The Good Book and
the Big Book: A.A.’s Roots in the Bible.” In 2003, he cofounded Freedom Ranch
Maui, Inc. And in 2009, he cofounded the International Christian Recovery
Coalition. His main website is www.DickB.com.
Contact Dick B.’s son Ken for more info at kcb00799@gmail.com.
