Robert Charles Burdett (Bob) is a writer, author, and playwright. His major interests are genealogy, architecture, history, and religion. He is a native of North Dakota but has lived in Omaha, Nebraska since 1970.
Burdett is a graduate of Bismarck Junior College (1968), North Dakota State University (BSIE, 1970), Creighton University (MBA, 1975), and the Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Biblical School (2003-7).
In an earlier life, Burdett was a statistical quality control engineer for Western Electric (Ma Bell’s manufacturing unit), Lucent Technologies, and Avaya. This, in part, explains his strange writing style (e.g., all those tables and section headings).
A more complete biography can be found in "BS2: An Autobiography."
Robert Charles Burdett (Bob) is a writer, author, and playwright. His major interests are genealogy, architecture, history, and religion. He is a native of North Dakota but has lived in Omaha, Nebraska since 1970.
Burdett is a graduate of Bismarck Junior College (1968), North Dakota State University (BSIE, 1970), Creighton University (MBA, 1975), and the Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Biblical School (2003-7).
In this book “A Catholic” provides some tips for how you can pray Scripture. The first three chapters define and describe: “A Catholic,” prayer types, and Scripture (from a Catholic perspective). Chapter 4 provides the promised “Prayer Writing Techniques” noted in the books subtitle. The next four chapters provide some examples of...
Building upon a thesis proposed by Arthur Gray, Master of Jesus College, Cambridge, this book contains a history play which dramatizes how Henry Goodyer, Thomas Burdett, and Raphael Holinshed, via a literary salon called the “Polesworth Circle,” educated, trained, and supported two of England’s most notable poets and playwrights, Michael Drayton...
Shortly after December 7, 1941, the Genda, Oshima and Shiroyama families were uprooted from their Terminal Island, California homes and interred at Manzanar. This book provides some details on the lives of these three families before, during and after their incarceration. It also examines the U.S. Governments conduct during the war, life on...
In the last part of this series I wrote that “for a variety of reasons, I have decided to be cremated and have a memorial service (without a Mass).” I intended to leave it at that and moved on to my obituary. When I was pretty much finished with my (then) nine-part series, I decided I needed to add another part to explain (to myself and possibly others) “why” I decided on a cremation with no vigil, and a memorial service with no Mass.
The St. Wenceslaus funeral guide began with an introductory note from my pastor, Father Mike Eckley. In that note he reminded me that a Christian funeral “… is a statement of hope in the resurrection of the dead.”
The second section of the guide was entitled “Preparing the Vigil,” the vigil being a service that is usually held the evening before the funeral. The vigil has some of the same elements as a funeral (e.g., music, readings, homily). It also includes a “litany” of pre-written prayers...
Well, I finally got around to it. In my December 19, 2025 “Happy Holidays” post, I noted my plan to publish a series of essays in mid-January, regarding my planned funeral. I then hemmed and hawed as I attempted to write out those plans – going instead with a few book reviews to kill some time as I got my act together. So, here we are, in mid-February.
This is the first of a (planned) eleven-part story on my upcoming (date unknown) funeral. Note that this series is “Draft One.” The plans may...
