Burton Robertson Schools

Burton Robertson Schools, husband for 62 years of Marion Newton Schools, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, April 26, 2020.

Born in Portsmouth, VA, to the late Lila and Raymond Schools, Burt graduated high school in Portsmouth and at the age of 17 and went on to enroll in William & Mary College. After graduating from William & Mary in 1954, he matriculated at Emory University's school of business and achieved his advanced degree in only one year as part of Emory's first MBA class.

After graduation from Emory, he joined the United States Navy and, while serving in the Navy, met and married Marion in 1957. Upon his honorable discharge from the USN, he joined the management training program at Rich's Department Store in Atlanta, GA.

In 1958, he moved with Marion, then pregnant with their first child, back to her hometown of Charleston, where he joined what would become Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co. in its accounting department. At Piggly Wiggly he held and was promoted from various management positions until he retired in 1999, as Piggly Wiggly's Executive Vice President - Chief Financial Officer, President of Greenbax Enterprises (Piggly Wiggly's sister company), and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

At Piggly Wiggly, Burt was the epitome of a servant-leader and personally mentored dozens of Piggly Wiggly's managers and future leaders. His management style consisted of an unwavering integrity coupled with a desire to help people achieve even more than they thought possible. One of the many leaders he mentored was quoted as saying, "Mr. Schools would call you into his office to talk to you about something you messed up. He would come from around the desk, sit beside you, and when you left his office you were thanking him for setting you straight!" Burt truly loved "The Pig" and, even more so, loved the thousands of people there with whom he worked over his 40 years at the company. And the people there loved him back, appreciating his sense of humor, his warmth and his sincerely caring attitude. His passion for the people at The Pig never waivered, and he thought fondly of them until his last breath.

During his time of leadership at the company, Burt enjoyed a passion for helping his community. He volunteered to assist many non-profits and served on numerous committees and boards. Among those Boards, at one time or another, he served as Chairman of the Board of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Porter Gaud School, and the Community Foundation. A long-time member of Bethel United Methodist Church, he was committed to helping his church financially, and he served many years as its Treasurer.

After his retirement, for several years Burt was a volunteer Adjunct Professor of Business at The Citadel. He so enjoyed his interaction with the Cadets, mostly seniors, who took his course of problem solving. Burt would bring in community business leaders with whom he had developed relationships over the years to make presentations to his class of real business problems they had encountered. The Cadets would then work on solutions to those problems and the leaders would return to share their actual solutions with the Cadets, who would then compare their ideas to what actually happened. One of the highlights of those classes for Burt was the end-of-semester dinner at which he would treat the entire class to an evening at McCrady's Restaurant. Burt took great joy in seeing these young people go on to become successes in many fields. Many of them stayed in touch with him over the years.

In a self-deprecating way, Burt referred to himself as "Big Ike" (IKE - I Know Everything) when he would feel that he was acting in a know-it-all way, and eventually, he would become known, in a respectful way, by that moniker by his closest colleagues, friends, and family. His grandchildren shortened that simply to "Big". So, to their grandchildren and much of their world, Marion and he became "Lady and Big".

Lady and Big's marriage was a true partnership, with both contributing to the well-being of each other and their family. They enjoyed going to the symphony, cooking, dining out, bridge with friends, travel, and, especially, time with family.

Burt loved his family and would do anything for them. He raised his three sons by giving them a lot of heartfelt guidance at the same time he gave them space to make their own mistakes and have their own successes. He was always there to help them and give them whatever support they needed. And, Big was never so happy as when he was with any or all of his five grandchildren.

Burt was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Raymond, Jr. In addition to his wife, Burton Schools is survived by his three sons David (Nella), Scott (Cindi Hubbard), and Stephen (Christy) Schools; and his five grandchildren Susannah, Nella Gray, and Benjamin Schools; and Caroline and Sam Schools. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews, including his special niece Cindy Powell and his grand-niece Kelly Murphy, both of Texas.

Due to the pandemic, a memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Mount Pleasant Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to: The Bethel United Methodist Church Endowment Fund, 57 Pitt St., Charleston, SC 20401; or The MUSC Children's Hospital Fund, 59 Bee Street MSC 201, Charleston, SC 29425.