Texas LAND Fall 2014

TWA MEMBER PROFILE
Dr. Paul and Toni Burns
COLONEL BURNS RANCH
by Lorie Woodward Cantu
Dr. Paul Burns’ wife, Toni, is fond of saying, “Life changes in ordinary
moments.”
Two seemingly ordinary moments inspired the couple to restore
their Brown County ranch, a piece of property that has been in Paul’s
family since 1873 to its pre-settlement condition.
The first moment occurred when Paul, who is a retired
otolaryngologist more commonly known as an ear, nose, and throat
doctor, was examining a patient. The man was the CEO of a major
multi-national corporation and had lived around the world. The
Burns’ oldest daughter is married to an ExxonMobil executive and
they too were professional globetrotters, prompting Paul to ask,
“How can I best support my family as they live abroad?”
The CEO paused, giving careful consideration to the question, before
replying, “Give them a place to call home, so that no matter where
they are, no matter what changes in their lives, they have a place to
return to that is constant, unchanging and is part of them.”
Paul returned to the Burns’ Austin home that evening and told Toni
that he knew what he wanted to do with the ranch.
The second ordinary, but pivotal moment occurred as the Burns
were visiting their daughter and her family in London. On an outing
to an exhibition showcasing the poet William Blake, Paul and Toni
read the famous opening lines from Auguries of Innocence:
“To see a World in a grain of sand,
And a Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an hour….”
Toni, who had long been an admirer of Blake’s poetry, considered
the familiar words from a completely new perspective and said,
“Paul, that’s the ranch.”
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Fall 2014