Remembering David Burwell
David Burwell (1947-2017) will be remembered as a visionary, a passionate environmentalist, and a tireless advocate and strategist for transportation and climate policy reform, whose mission was to improve the world. After graduation from Dartmouth College he attended the University of Virginia School of Law. In 1986, David co-founded Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), a nonprofit organization that led nationwide efforts to convert unused railroad corridors into public trails and parks. By this vision and transformative work, he left behind a legacy of 22 thousand miles of rail-trails benefiting thousands of communities throughout our country and laid a foundation of support for converting greenways in other countries.
David was baptized into the Orthodox Faith after his marriage to Irene Ovchinnikova Burwell. It was a deep friendship with Archbishop Anthony (Cheremisov) of Oryol which had a major influence on his decision to convert to Orthodoxy. Fr. Dmitry Grigorieff, who became a close friend, celebrated David's funeral service. Fr. Valery Shemchuk performed the sacrament of chrismation and became David's spiritual guide and confessor. David fell asleep in the Lord in his home on February 1, 2017, after a three-year battle with acute myeloid leukemia. He is remembered by his wife, son, a sister and a brother, and three granddaughters, as well as many friends and colleagues whom he mentored to established outstanding careers in public service.
