Jeffrey Burkhart Many professors moonlight. At ULV, a vast array of interests encompass the Leopards’ respective gigs. One repairs antique clocks. Another used to sing with the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Another peruses karaoke bars, poised to groan another monotonous – albeit accurate – Bob Dylan rendition. Jeffrey Burkhart’s hobby lodges him in the upper echelon: He manages an online Web site that buys and sells used books. It started while he was teaching at a small school in Oklahoma that went bankrupt, prompting salary cuts. To supplement his fading salary, Burkhart bid on a house full of about 7,000 books. Dropping about $1,100, Burkhart won the books, and his life has never been the same. “That made me a book salesman,” he said. Financially, Burkhart’s $1,100 was one of the smartest investments he could have made. “But I didn’t know it at the time,” he said. “I unloaded a lot of stuff at the time that I should have kept.” He started selling books at auction, and eventually started up his Web site to provide a platform to display and sell his collection; the site currently lists about 3,000 books. He sells about 100 a year for various, rarely-extravagant prices. However, this year, he sold one for $1,400. “It’s fun,” he said. “I enjoy finding things and helping people that are looking for specific books find the specific books. And it does support my professor’s salary.” And this hobby will not subside when he finishes unloading the original 7,000. In fact, despite consistently selling, his collection seems to swell. “I can’t turn down a book,” he said. “I have more things than I probably ought to have.” “It’s nice to have something completely unrelated to everything else I do,” he said. “If I ever retire, that’s what I’ll do: I’ll be a book peddler.” As for the rest of Burkhart’s life, it seems that book peddling may be his only escape from his livelihood. The rest of his existence generally slides back to biology. “I was destined to be a biologist,” said the Humboldt State and ASU alumnus. Raised by his grandparents for a while, Burkhart recalls always being active in Boy Scouts. “From high school, I knew I wanted to be some sort of biologist.” Now, in his free time, the natural-born biologist hangs out with the critters, hiking, birdwatching, collecting snakes, lizards, etc. “Some of it’s research,” he said. “Some of it’s enjoyment.” Even one of his most treasured pastimes brings him outside: a biologist’s playground. Burkhart has been fishing since he was 15 years old, specifically fly fishing. “It’s really the only way I enjoy fishing for trout,” he said. “You’re working on the same level the fish is operating on. It’s almost cathartic. I would fish a lot more if I had more time.” Even his reading habits scream biology. Touting authors like Robert Service and the recently-deceased Steven J. Gould, Burkhart specifically enjoys John Janovy’s work on becoming a biologist. “You don’t just do biology,” he said. “You have to become a biologist.” THE PROFESSOR Burkhart specifically enjoys students who show an enthusiasm, a willingness to do more than what’s absolutely asked, in addition to “somebody where interest transcends the classroom.” “Some of our best students are not the most gifted,” he said. “Those who are willing to go out into the field or stay up half the night chasing animals in the desert.” And his innate love for the field transfers into the classroom. “I’ve always been passionate about teaching,” he said. “It’s always been stimulating to me. I’ve always striven really hard. I work hard on it. I think I’m a good teacher who cares.” At the end of the interview, Burkhart heads off to Warehouse with the rest of the faculty. “Time to go wind down, talk shop,” he said. As he leaves his small, ordinary office, a card jumps out, reading, “The voyage has begun.” RETURN TO FACULTY LISTmailto:burkhart@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_1_link_1
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