A Burd's Eye View of Austin

Talk about Voluntary Simplicity!

It's a 3 1/2-mile walk between Gene Burd's apartment near Barton Springs Road and his office on the University of Texas campus, a walk that he makes twice a day. He's easy to spot on downtown streets, namely because Burd hoofs his daily commute at a brisk pace that belies his 76 years.

A compactly built man with thinning white hair, Burd has walked the same route — with only slight variations — since he started teaching journalism at UT in 1972. He eschews cars, believing they have a negative effect on the urban environment. He walks to the doctor, to the grocery store and to work. He never uses elevators because "you meet a better class of people" on staircases, he says.

A reporter since 1953 and teacher since 1959, Burd has a gentle, high-pitched voice and often holds his hand over his mouth when he talks, as if telling a secret. His office is so full of papers and books stacked to the ceiling that it's nearly impossible to step inside.He's also famously frugal...

He seldom buys new clothes. Those New Balance shoes? He found them in the trash somewhere. He rarely goes out to eat and doesn't have a car. Never married, he says growing up in rural poverty taught him to be a good saver. He says he invests conservatively and wisely, and has used stockbrokers for many years.

Gene Burd is a man who loves cities. It's why he created his foundation. It's a curious passion, considering Burd was born in a cabin in rural Missouri and was educated in a one-room schoolhouse in the Ozarks.

Though he now has the longest tenure in the journalism school, Burd is still an associate professor and his $73,779 annual salary ranks beneath many younger peers. While he says that he's "a little bitter" about that, he has nonetheless made a lasting impression on many of his students.

"He's a wonderful professor who really understands journalism and its course over time," said Megan Larson, a recent graduate and former student of Burd's. "One thing he told us was that if you want to be a good writer, you have to know a little bit about everything," said Dennis Killian, another former student.

...in 2004, he used more than $1 million of his own money, most of it just from saving up his paychecks and investments, to establish the Urban Communication Foundation, which gives financial awards to journalists and researchers who specialize in city planning, architecture, zoning, environmental issues and other urban topics. He has since given the foundation $25,000 for operational costs.