Dal Burns

Dal Burns died at his home in Angwin on June 5, 2013 of complications from cancer. Dal is survived by his wife Peggy Smyth-Burns and a beloved menagerie of animals including his Peruvian Paso, Bella, and a close circle of friends. Dal was born in Newcastle, England, and came from four generations of theatrically-minded folk, including a great-grandfather who was a Shakespearean actor and restaurateur in Scotland.

Dal was extraordinary accomplished across many disciplines and also one of the warmest and wittiest people one could ever hope to meet. “A writer, storyteller, adventurer and generally all around decent fellow” was how he described himself.

In his teen years he traveled with a carnival troupe in Europe and worked on a ship in the North Sea. At the age of 17 he traveled to Australia where he worked in the theater before going on ‘walkabout’ beginning in Kaloomba, in the blue mountains. In later years he wrote a one-man performance piece, Outback, which he performed off and on for five years and also recorded as a CD. The time in Australia also set the stage for an audio book for children and adults which he wrote and voices, Kookaburra.

Dal traveled extensively and was an explorer, a stuntman, actor, radio script writer, dairy farmer, theater manager, acting teacher as well as an extremely accomplished computer engineer. He ran the emergency dispatch system for the City of San Francisco for five years, integrating the 911 response system across several departments.

Dal’s undergraduate degree was in Technology from Linden University in the UK, with honors and distinction. He also held a master’s in computer science from UCSF. He received an award for the master’s degree program he created for bio-tech students at the University of Northern California. He served as the Department Chair at the Computer Learning Center in San Francisco for several years. He worked independently as a programmer/analyst in the Bay Area.

Dal enjoyed the theater, working actively in writing, producing and acting in an enormous number of productions in Marin, Sonoma and Napa.

Dal was an accomplished equestrian, riding and partnering with his horse Bella, with whom he had many adventures. He competed and was active in Ride & Tie events in northern California. He was a popular member of the horse community in Angwin and Napa Valley and was a familiar figure jogging the trails in Las Posadas forest and around Pacific Union College.

Dal gave lively and entertaining presentations at schools in the area, including a very popular one last fall at R.L. Stevenson Middle School in St. Helena. One of his ongoing projects was WriteAcrossAmerica, a blog he created to encourage student writers. Dal was also active with Save Rural Angwin.

Burial was private. A memorial service will take place on June 23; contact [email protected] for details. Donations in his name can be made to We Care Animal Rescue in St. Helena.