Michael loved life and lived it to the fullest. He did more in his short 27 years than most do in a full lifetime. He will be missed terribly by all those whose lives he touched.
From: Christina Harbrecht (2006)
I met Mike during my last semester at the University of Iowa and as it turned out, we both ended up moving to Chicago right after graduation and rented apartments on the same block. A casual acquaintance turned into an everlasting friendship. One of things I miss about Mike is being able to call him anytime to meet at "our" bar, Corcoran's, for a beer, so you can imagine my dismay when he decided to move to NYC in 2004. At first, I wouldn't even talk about it with him because I really didn't want to believe he would go through with it. But, as most people who knew Burke can testify, his mind was made up and he was ready to go.
I have a knack for buying the perfect birthday presents and the year before, I had gotten Burke at 1982 Rose Bowl T-shirt featuring the Iowa Hawkeyes – even if you don't know me, you know what shirt I'm talking about. Well, the year he moved to NYC, I had gotten him tickets to the U.S. Open Men's Final Match. I have to admit now that this was really more of a present to me than to Burke!!! We had a wonderful weekend together and I am so glad I was finally able to "suck it up" and go visit him. The attached pictures capture this special memory that I will always have.
Christina Harbrecht a.k.a. "Tina"
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