A former Virginia State Police captain is savoring a milestone many will never reach. Captain John Burrow, the oldest living Virginia State Police member, turned 100 on Saturday and still holds a great amount of pride for having protected and served.
"I'm kind of overwhelmed at the volume of people that came in to say happy birthday, and I appreciated it very much," he says.
Burrow spent today enjoying his birthday, but he spent 34 years protecting others. He's seen the Virginia State Police evolve and has left a legacy of leadership for his predecessors to follow.
Captain Richard Denney says, "Captain Burrow being the first division commander in this division which is division six. We have 14 counties here, and I being the 5th division commander, it's just something that we wanted to come and show our support."
That support has helped Burrow make a name in Virginia history for himself. But the humble centurion says he just wants people to know the officers who serve the state have an important job.
"A lot people don't really know the depth of their operation," Burrow began. "There's a whole lot more work than writing tickets, a lot of work to be done and they're at it everyday."
For the officers left to take over Burrow's reigns, he will always be known as the person who paved the way for them.
"We always respect the elders in our agency or the supervisors in our agency, we always look up to those. So he's actually made this agency what it is today," Denney says.
State lawmakers presented a resolution to Burrow back in 2010 commending him for his long and committed service to the Commonwealth.
