Collection Guide
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Burmahln Family Papers
MSS-1986-04-11
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: Burmahln Family Papers
creator:
Burmahln family
Identifier/Call Number: MSS-1986-04-11
Physical Description:
1 Box
(.42 linear feet)
Date (inclusive): 1877-1986
Abstract: This collection contains the family documents of Lyle and Clarence Burmahln, who are responsible for funding San José State
University's Clarence F. and Lyle V. Burmahln Scholarships. The Burmahln documents were given to the university by Austen
Warburton, the Burmahlns' lawyer and advisor, when the scholarships were established in the mid-1980s.
This collection is arranged alphabetically by document type.
Lyle Burmahln (née Pardee) was born in Watsonville, California, in 1901. After graduating from Watsonville High School, she
moved to San José and worked as a legal secretary. She married Clarence Burmahln on July 10, 1939. Before her death in 1984,
Mrs. Burmahln bequeathed $250,000.00 to San José State University. Upon receiving the gift in 1985, SJSU President Gail Fullerton
told the Spartan Daily, "This is the largest single gift for scholarship from a private source the school has ever received."
Lyle's husband, Clarence Burmahln, was born in 1892 and grew up on a farm in Kiel, Wisconsin. His work as a young adult included
selling knives and running a haberdashery shop. He eventually moved to California and settled in the Santa Clara Valley, working
as a foreman at his cousin's winery in Evergreen. In 1928, he purchased a ranch in Almaden that became his life's work. The
ranch produced fruit, vegetables, nuts, and housed a winery. He died in San José in 1965.
Collection is open for research.
Copyright has not been assigned to San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission
to publish or quote from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections & Archives. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections & Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions
also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational
institutions.
Burmahln Family Papers, MSS-1986-04-11, San José State University Library, Special Collections & Archives.
Processed by Fiona DuBrock in December 2019.
This collection contains family documents from the Burmahln family such as marriage and baptismal certificates, property records
for the Burmahln ranch in Almaden, correspondence about Lyle and Clarence Burmahln, and family photos.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
San José State University -- History -- 20th century
San José State University -- Funds and scholarships
Ranching -- California -- Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County, Calif.)
Warburton, Austen D.