Dr. & Mrs. Glen Burton Jr. Memorial Fund

The Dr. & Mrs. Glen Burton Jr. Memorial Fund began at Marion Community Foundation as a series of memorial contributions and grew into a fund for the benefit of Marion’s Prairie Parks. It was created by the children of Dr. Glen (1922-2008) and Dorothy (1924-1987) Burton, Jr. to honor their parents and their love of the outdoors.

A life-long Marion resident, Dr. Burton was an optometrist who practiced locally for 40+ years and thoroughly enjoyed helping people improve their sight. He served in the Army during World War II and was stationed in the South Pacific. An avid Buckeye fan, he earned his medical degree from The Ohio State University School of Optometry. He and Dorothy married in 1948 and raised five children. Dorothy, a native of Pennsylvania, was a registered nurse anesthetist.

Since 2009, the Burton Fund has awarded grants annually to support the Prairie Parks Foundation for the development, care, maintenance, and improvement of the Marion Tallgrass Trail, a 12 mile long recreational trail in western Marion County.