The Poet’s Doctor: Dr. William Anderson “Bud” Burns

Story and illustrations courtesy of Misti Spillman, Manager, Preservation and Community Outreach Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum

Living here in Warren County, we are fortunate to be between the two larger cities of Dayton and Cincinnati. This allows us to not only share in both of these city's accomplishments, but in their residents. And, believe it or not, one way of learning about these people can often be found in historical cemeteries. Dayton, Ohio's Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, which is one of the oldest garden cemeteries in the United States, is filled with history. And, this July, the WarrenCountyPost.com has been given the privilege to publish a piece from Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum about Dr. William Anderson “Bud” Burns.

DAYTON, OH -- Dr. William Anderson “Bud” Burns was born around 1873 to Anderson and Mary Ella Burns and grew up in Dayton, Ohio. Little is known about his early years except that after the death of his parents, young Burns was fostered by Civil War Veteran Captain Charles Stivers; principal of Central High School and namesake of Stivers High School for the Arts. 

At Central High School, William Burns befriended another boy only a few years older-Paul Laurence Dunbar, an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Though none can say exactly when they met, sources agree that the two were close friends from a young age.

After graduation, Burns studied medicine under Dr. J. C. Reeve in Dayton; one of the first organizers of the American Gynecological Society, and a leader in anesthetics. After some time studying under Dr. Reeve, Burns attended Western Reserve University’s school of medicine. Earning his degree in 1898, Burns returned to Dayton to open his practice.

One of Dr. Burns’ patients would be Paul Laurence Dunbar, whose recurring bouts of tuberculosis were of great concern. In a tragic turn of events, Dr. William Anderson “Bud” Burns contracted typhoid fever in November of 1905, and within two weeks had died of the illness. He was 32.

His untimely death deeply affected his colleagues and larger community. Rather than attempt to describe this outpouring of grief, we allow the Montgomery County Medical Society of 1905 to speak for itself:

“We can little appreciate the obstacles he met and conquered, the odds against which he fought. His work was not inspired by thoughts of earthly gain alone, for where he labored most, he had no hopes of great reward. His one ambition was the welfare and advancement of his own people, and in his death they have suffered an irreparable loss.”

Photo: Dr. William Anderson “Bud” Burns, courtesy of Ohio History Connection and Montgomery County

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