ORLANDO — Thomas Burkett beamed with joy as he watched his fellow Air Force members give speeches about their time on active duty, their camaraderie and their work with organizations to give back to the community.
Burkett, a Bartow native, was one of the organizers of the Air Force Basketball Old School, a biennial event that includes golf, a game room and, most importantly, invites health care providers for screenings and planning for future health care. This time, the event was held in Orlando.
“It’s great that we have so many military retirees, grandchildren and fathers who can spread the word about reading and literacy, and they can use this program and spread the word,” Burkett said at the banquet that concluded the event. “Now we can spread it everywhere. … This group is all over the United States. … It’s having a tremendous impact.”
Burkett, who was in the Air Force for over 30 years before becoming the military women’s basketball coach, is part of the Air Force Basketball Old School, which promotes and participates in community, leadership and philanthropy. His mission is specifically to recruit nonprofits that benefit the community.
This year, his research led him to discover Team Know Better, Do Better!, a nonprofit organization focused on early reading for black children. This program will impact children in Polk County and the surrounding area.
“I know the power of reading. I have taught all children to read, regardless of race and ethnicity, because I know that reading can change the trajectory of a child’s life,” educator and founder of the organization Nikki W. Jones said at the banquet.
That’s exactly what happened to Burkett. Burkett’s career path changed when he first played basketball on a dirt road in Bartow. When he began playing for Union Academy High School, his brother, General Burkett, was building basketball hoops as well as equipment for other programs in the neighborhood.
The Bartow native was under the tutelage of longtime high school coach Forrest McKinnie, who never had a poor season as a football or basketball coach. McKinnie was the one who pushed his players to read well, otherwise they wouldn’t play for the team. From that point on, Burkett made it a point to focus on his reading skills and academic performance so he could play basketball in high school.
“We had to make sure we could read and do our lessons,” Burkett said. “We weren’t allowed to play. He made that a rule. If you didn’t pass the lessons, you weren’t allowed to play. That was a big motivator.”
Burkett received scholarships and eventually attended Allen University in South Carolina to play basketball in 1962. He then joined the Air Force in 1964 before traveling to Germany. He became a coach at Homestead Air Reserve Base before coaching at a base in Denver and at an Army/Navy base.
Along the way, Burkett met the current president of the Old School basketball organization, Bobby Robinson, when Robinson was still a player at Hahn Air Force Base in 1982. Burkett also met the organization’s original founding members, JP Hartley and Moses Griffin – two Air Force coaches.
The Bartow athlete and Air Force veteran stayed in touch with Hartley and Griffin and joined the organization in 2011.
