The Early Birds
The genesis of the Early Birds began in 1961 when then State Representative Bob Armstrong was referred to Stan Burnham to seek advice on his health and fitness level. Bob began meeting with Stan three mornings a week and was soon joined by four other Austin attorneys: Chrys Dougherty, Tom Gee, Lloyd Lochridge and Tom Reavley. The program’s success attracted many Austin doctors, lawyers and businessmen and officially became known as the Business-Professional Program. By year two, professors began “coming down from their ivory towers” to join the program. Soon more than 100 faculty, coaches and other University officials were skipping lunch in favor of weights, isometrics and Burnham’s non-stop exercise regimen. They included such notables as Dr. Norman Hackerman, Dr. John Silber, Jones Ramsey, Jack Holland, Dr. John McKetta and many others. Stan was assisted by several individuals, including Charlie Craven, Pete Tyson, Frank Medina, Terry Todd, Alton Hodges, Wayne Jennings and Tom Martine.
Origins of the Early Birds Name
The early morning exercise group had a habit of parking all around Gregory Gym and going to breakfast at the old Varsity Cafeteria next door following their workouts. One morning as the group emerged from the cafeteria the UT police were ticketing their cars. Stan relates, “Eddie Joseph sauntered over to the officers and said, “We’re just a bunch of early birds working out in Gregory Gym.” With this plea, the police backed off and the Early Birds were officially named.
In 1962, Lt. Col. Bob Higley joined Dr. Burnham’s early morning exercise group. “We exercised down in Gregory Gym on the big mats. If you came in late you would have to use the hard floor,” Higley related. Upon Dr. Burnham’s departure from UT in 1972, Bob began conducting the class occasionally, and by 1974 had become the official leader. He embraced the Early Birds name and carried on the tradition for three decades. As a leader and proponent of the value of play and exercise, both Stan and Bob clearly had a profound influence on the Division of Recreational Sports.