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Arlene Burke: From Racquets to Retirement

Arlene Burke of Madison recently retired from the Madison Racquet & Swim Club, leaving behind a legacy of diligence, care, and devotion to an active lifestyle to pursue lifelong passions and discover new ones.

Arlene began at the club when it was still fairly new, in the early 1990s.

“Kitty Palmer, one of the pros, worked at the club before [Bob] Dunlop bought it,” she says, “It was through friendship with her that I started working there as club manager.”

Arlene was in charge of everything from memberships to babysitting.

“Childcare was an expected service back then. Getting to know those families and kids as they grew up was great. Families who were members early on are dear friends,” she says. “The evolution of the club was fun for me over the years.”

When she started, she worked in what was known as the Paddle Hut, which was the original clubhouse.

“Other than a space heater,” Arlene says, “there was no heat in the hut.”

In the mid-1990s, the pool construction began, as did a year of disruption.

“We worked in a construction trailer for a year,: she says, noting, “It was cool to see everything around me getting built.”

She’s grateful also for the learning opportunities. Working at the club “brought me into the computer world and forced me to learn about technology, which is a good thing,” Arlene says.

She didn’t just learn about computers, though; in the last year, she became involved in pickleball, a paddle sport that resembles table tennis, badminton, and tennis.

Arlene will miss the community at the club, but she’s taking it with her.

“People at the club are so awesome. I’m still in contact with them,” she says. “I have to credit Bob Dunlop for everything. I knew [the club] was the right place for me...being with fun people who loved tennis and paddle and who had an active lifestyle.”

An active lifestyle has always been the foundation of Arlene’s approach to life.

“I was always a tennis player,” she says, “[and] I still play tennis.”

And though tennis is one of her favorite sports, she doesn’t limit herself to the courts.

“I’m passionate about golf,” she says. ”I love being retired, because it gives me more time to play.”

Arlene looks to sports to stay active and stay connected.

“Playing sports keeps you young,” she says. “It keeps me connected with my grandkids, too. The tennis ladies are good friends of mine. A great way to meet people is through sports.”

A lifetime of passion for athleticism began early for Arlene, with her father.

“In my day, girls didn’t get into sports, but my dad would bring me down to the little league field. My love of sports was inspired by him,” she says. “Home run contests were always part of the fun. We played for hours passing a baseball, playing badminton, basketball, touch football, and ice skating.”

At St. Mary’s High School in New Haven, Arlene played field hockey in the fall, basketball in the winter, and softball in the spring. She continued to enjoy an athletic lifestyle in college, where she played tennis and field hockey.

Arlene also worked as a physical education teacher after graduating from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven. She returned to St. Mary’s High School to teach.

“In those days, coaching a sport each season was part of your teaching contract; there was no additional pay to coach,” she says.

From St. Mary’s, she went to teach at North Haven High School “during the early days of Title IX. Programs were being offered to girls to provide equal opportunities in all areas, but athletics was certainly highlighted early on,” Arlene says.

Early in her retirement, she’s turned to sports again.

“I’ll be playing golf in Pebble Beach with my friends, and then driving up to wine country,” sh says. “It’ll be a melding of my two worlds.”

It’s through Arlene’s husband, Richard, and his work, that wine country became one of her favorite places. Working as a Catholic school management consultant, Richard often traveled to northern California.

“He got to know Napa wine aficionados and owners,” Arlene says. “I’m kind of a wine connoisseur in the works; Richard’s kind of brought me there, which is great.”

Though Richard retired three years ago, he and Arlene continue to enjoy visiting the Napa Valley.

“I like a good cab,” Arlene says. “There are some nice sauvignon blancs, too, but there’s nothing like a good red wine.”

Arlene adds that while some will say they get headaches from a glass of red wine, “a good red won’t produce headaches if you don’t drink too much.”

In addition to sports and wine country, Arlene has other plans for her retirement.

“Retirement is just wonderful. I don’t think I’m going to be looking for a job, but volunteer work is definitely on the horizon,” she says.

Arlene’s past volunteering efforts have included being a lunch mom at Our Lady of Mercy School, a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) teacher, and a coach for both Little League and soccer.

She’s thinking about possible volunteering opportunities for the future.

“Marco Island Catholic Church is packed. I know there are opportunities there,” she says.

Arlene, Richard, and their children and grandchildren recently spent time over Christmas in Marco Island, Florida. Arlene is also considering volunteering with sports.

Arlene would also like to travel more during her retirement.

“We have a river cruise planned in France with Richard’s friends,” she says. “We like to travel. Being retired is nice, because I can drop everything and go visit family.”

Arlene and Richard have four children, all born within six years of one another.

“I was a busy stay-at-home mom for a number of years,” Arlene says.

Even after she started working at the Madison Racquet and Swim Club, Arlene’s kids were close at hand.

“My kids never had to worry about a summer job. They worked at the club, teaching tennis and running the snack bar,” she says.

Arlene has 10 grandchildren, ranging in age from four months to 15 years old.

“They grow up so quickly,” she says. “I want to be a person in their life who they feel connected to. I want to see them when they play their games, when they take the stage, when they meet Santa for the first time, when they have a special birthday, and when they receive their sacraments.”

Though Arlene adds that she misses her co-workers, she’s looking forward to this next chapter of her life when she can be the grandmother she wants to be, travel the world, and continue to embrace life as an athlete.

To recommend a person of the week for Madison or Killingworth, email m.mcnellis@shorepublishing.com.