James Robert (Bob) Burull

James Robert “Bob” Burull was born June 23, 1931, in Stoughton, Wisconsin, the son of James and Anna Burull. Raised on the family farm, Bob graduated from Stoughton High School in 1949. He later recalled that farm life gave him a strong work ethic and self-reliance—qualities that would follow him through an unusually varied career.

Bob attended the University of Wisconsin, graduating in 1954. One of his ambitions was to become a pilot, and in 1955 he entered the United States Army and completed Army flight training that July.

Bob married Jeanne Ann Rowley in 1955 at First Lutheran Church in Stoughton. The two had actually known one another since childhood—Jeanne played violin at Bob's one-room schoolhouse when he was in eighth grade and she was in fourth. Following their wedding and a trip through western Canada, they made their home near Olympia, Washington, while Bob was stationed at Fort Lewis.

As an Army aviator, First Lieutenant Burull served with the 4th Infantry Division Aviation Company at Fort Lewis. Earlier, beginning in August 1955, he had served with the 2nd Infantry Division as a pilot of L-19 and L-20 reconnaissance aircraft. He also completed the Engineer Officers Basic Course at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

His duties at Fort Lewis went well beyond flying. Bob served as a pilot and supply officer and, for a short time, commanded the 49th Infantry Scout Dog Platoon. By 1956, he had logged more than 500 hours of flying time throughout the Pacific Northwest. He also participated in flood-relief operations along the Columbia River near Portland, Oregon.

After leaving the Army, Bob continued his education, eventually earning a master's degree in agriculture and a Ph.D. in communications. He taught at Kansas State University, where he served as farm radio director for a five-state network, and later became a communications professor at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.

In 1969, Bob and Jeanne returned to Stoughton and entered the emerging world of cable television. Together they launched one of the first local origination cable television stations in the United States. They produced their own programming, interviewed political figures, covered community events and broadcast church services—what Bob called their “cable television adventures.”

His communications career eventually took the family to Stevens Point, where Bob taught communications at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. He later became vice president of Telephone and Data Systems in Madison, traveling throughout the country as the company developed cable franchises. In 1999, Bob and Jeanne were inducted into the Cable Center Hall of Fame in Denver, Colorado, in recognition of their pioneering work.

Bob never seemed to run out of interests. He pursued real estate, wrote agricultural grants involving ethanol and echinacea, started a grocery store near Stevens Point called The Food Tree, produced “The Ol' Bob Show” in Chaseburg, and was working on a book based on his farm experiences titled Farm Boy. He also entered public service and was elected to the Dane County Board of Supervisors.

His commitment to service eventually brought him into leadership at American Legion Post 59. Bob served as Post Commander in 2001, adding another chapter to a life that had already included military service, aviation, education, broadcasting, business and public service.

Bob and Jeanne remained together until her death. Their family included two daughters, Ruth and Erica, and later four grandchildren.

James Robert “Bob” Burull died March 8, 2021, at the age of 89 following a brief illness. He was remembered as a man of tremendous enthusiasm, faith, humor and curiosity—a Stoughton farm boy whose life took him from the cockpit of an Army reconnaissance aircraft to classrooms, television studios, corporate leadership and community service.