Professor Leland S. (Lee) Burns

The term Renaissance Man is often overused, but it can safely be said that Professor Leland S Burns demonstrated a kind of "Renaissance philanthropy" in the breadth and depth of his legacy gifts to Cambridge. No less than three Colleges will benefit from his generosity and vision.

Burns, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 87, was born in Iowa and attended the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) where he received a BS in business administration followed by an MBA in 1957. He was a Fulbright Scholar in the Netherlands where he received his PhD in economics.

His association with the University of Cambridge covered decades as a research scholar and for 10 years as a lecturer in the Department of Land Economy. He kept an apartment in the middle of Cambridge on Thompson Street. He was a prolific author of seminal works in his field, but also "Busy Bodies," a witty look at how Americans spend their time, and a novel, Shooting at the Movies. A noted organist, Professor Burns revered music and architecture in his personal life, and his legacy includes an architectural wonder of a Southern California home, designed by Charles Moore, that houses Burns' baroque pipe organ. The Burns House will become a center of scholarship, creativity, and conversation in architecture and music. His gracious philanthropy includes a provision for a Lee Burns Fellowship recipient, selected by St. John's College which will include a sabbatical residency of 2-3 months at the Burns House.

Professor Burns' gifts to Cambridge will also establish the St. John's Music Fund at St. John's in partnership with the Charles Moore Foundation, supporting the Colleges music programs; provide stipends to students at Fitzwilliam College in memory of Gordon Cameron, a former Master and Professor of Land Economy; and last but certainly not least, funds to support the Muze Trust activities at Pembroke College. The Muze Trust works in Zambia to complement the work of other charitable organizations, and specifically supports music-making in urban and rural communities.