After covering the local sports teams since the 1970s, John Burson is retiring as a sportswriter for The Eunice News.
Darrell J. Guillory, Eunice News publisher and chief operating officer of Louisiana State Newspapers, has known Burson since high school.
“I have been working with John for the last 33 years,” Guillory said. “But I have known him a lot longer than that because he was my home room teacher in the tenth grade at Eunice High.
“He taught me history and was my American Legion baseball coach,” Guillory said. “He was a very good and patient teacher.”
Burson’s byline in the Eunice News began in the 1970s and extended for 42 years of sports coverage.
“He was very dedicated, loyal and passionate about writing about high school, college and professional sports,” Guillory said.
“He was a constant here at the Eunice News through two ownerships (Matt Vernon and Louisiana State Newspapers),” Guillory said.
“John is just an overall good guy and he will be missed here as part of the newspaper staff.”
Tony Beaugh is another one of Burson’s former students and Bobcat baseball player who became a newspaper colleague and lifelong friend.
“He was my history teacher in my junior year at Eunice High in 1972,” Beaugh said. “He was fresh out of college and it was his first teaching job.
“He related well with his students,” Beaugh continued. “Throughout my years of elementary, junior high, high school and even college, John was my favorite teacher.”
Beaugh said he was a pitcher/infielder on the first Bobcat baseball team, led by Clarence Merricks and Burson.
“We made it to the state semifinals our first season in 1973,” he said. “They helped build a strong foundation for the baseball program that has been successful throughout the years continued by coach Scott Phillips.”
A member of the Eunice Oilers American Legion team, Beaugh also played college baseball at USL where he majored in journalism.
“I wrote for the school newspaper at Eunice High and later became a sports editor for two stints at the Eunice News in the 1980s and 1990s.
“During that time John assisted me with the sports section, so we reunited in the professional field.”
Beaugh said the relationship continued from teacher/student, coach/player; and newspaper staff into a personal friendship that included John being involved in Tony’s wedding in 1982.
“As good as a coach and teacher John was, he is an even better person,” Tony said. “I don’t know any person who knows John that doesn’t like him.
“It has been a long and wonderful relationship both professionally and personally,” he said.
“I will always appreciate his loyalty,” Beaugh said. “It is truly an honor to be considered a friend of John.”
“When I arrived at the Eunice News in 2007 John adopted me as his next sports editor,” Tom Dodge said. “He was dedicated as we worked together to put out the Bobcats, Blue Jays and other area teams’ game coverage.
“It was great to see John be able to cover the Bobcats’ two state football championships in the Superdome as well as leave his mark on the Bobcat baseball program including the 1979 title.
“He loved stats and facts and wanted it all to be a good story for our readers,” Dodge said.
“I will miss him sitting at the next desk, especially on Friday nights as we completed the Sunday sports sections.”
