North Carolina Central University Athletics

William "Flute" Burgess earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in social science in 1935 from North Carolina College, where he was a member of the first Eagle football squads to achieve national recognition. After working in social work and industrial labor relations, he began in 1946 a pioneer specialist in voca­tional rehabilitation for the mentally retarded; his research in that area was en­tirely new. Among the awards he received on the occasion of his retirement, the one he cherished most was a recognition that the State of Michigan had previous­ly reserved for members of the state legislature alone. He had previously been given the title of Rehabilitation Specialist, a rank and position no other Michigan civil servant held.