Obituary: Alan Burnham

Alan Burnham, 88, was preceded in death by his parents Gertrude S. and Leonard Burnham, brother Howard Burnham, and his wife Adele S. Burnham. He is survived by his daughter Stephanie and son-in-law Brian Aftergut, grandsons Ethan and Matthew Aftergut; daughter Laurie Burnham; son Jeremy Burnham and daughter-in-law Danielle Dever, and grandson Mack Burnham; as well as a niece and nephew in El Paso.

Alan was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 24, 1933. The family moved to Atlanta in August 1942. He graduated from S.M. Inman Elementary, and Henry Grady High School in 1951, attended the University of North Carolina and graduated from Emory University’s Business School in 1955. He served in the U.S. Army in Orleans, France. When he returned, he went to work for CPA firms. He started his own accounting practice in Sept 1971. He was a Registered Public Accountant (RPA) from 1962 until 2005, an Enrolled Agent, which entitled him to practice before the IRS in 1972. He was the first RPA appointed to the Georgia State Board of Accountancy by Governor George Busbee, serving two gubernatorial appointments, as well as chairman of the Enforcement Committee, vice chairman of the Board, and performed the first CPE audit. In July 2005, he became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) when the Georgia Legislature grandfathered in all RPAs as CPAs. He was a member of the National Society of Accountants (when it was the National Society of Public Accountants), and served two elected terms as the Georgia State Director, receiving two Outstanding State Directors Awards, as well as serving as Chairman of the Public Relations, Membership, Nominating and Teller Committees. He served on the Long-Range Planning Committee, Public Accountants Committee, and State Board of Accountants Committee. He was also a Member of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity, the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants, National Society of Accountants, and Congregation Bnai Torah. Contributions may be made to Wounded Warriors and the American Heart Association. Arrangements by Dressler’s Funeral Care, 770-451-4999.

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