Two of my uncles distinguished themselves during their careers: Willis L. Burnham, who was a prominent groundwater geologist with the USGS, and C. Wayne Burnham, who won the Roebling Medal in 1998 for his contributions to the field of geochemistry. My father George founded Burminco (the Burnham Mineral Company) in 1946, and supplied high-quality earth science materials to schools and mineral colle
ctors for 62 years from our home in Monrovia, California. As a kid helping my dad, I developed a profound appreciation for the inherent beauty of the rocks and minerals we collected and shipped to classrooms all over the country. But my love affair with optical mineralogy and petrography began when I saw my first thin section photomicrographs in an article in the January 1966 issue of National Geographic Magazine entitled "Finding Rare Beauty in Common Rocks". This love eventually blossomed in the late 1970's when soon after I left UCLA as a disillusioned art student, I obtained my first petrographic microscope and began studying optical mineralogy on my own. My passion for the subject led me in 1981 to pursue a B.S. degree in geology at Cal State L.A., which I earned in 1984 along with the Geology Department's Aaron Waters and Alumni Association Awards. I worked my way through college as a technician with one of the oldest and most respected thin section labs in the country, the Rudolph von Huene Laboratory in Pasadena, California. There I discovered the perfect way to blend my talents as an artist with my love of petrography. von Huene passed away and his business sold, I, with the help of my brother Dale, started my own lab, and on February 1, 1987 Burnham Petrographics was born. It quickly established a reputation for high quality and service, and grew rapidly by word of mouth. A few years later I was blessed to meet Kandi, who worked as a secretary/typesetter for a company next door to my lab in Monrovia. She was immediately interested in me and what I did for a living. We became the best of friends and ultimately married in 1999. Kandi has become a skilled petrographic technician in her own right, and has helped immeasurably in the growth and nurturing of what has become just as much her business as mine. In 2001 we were able to fulfill a dream to live in a cooler, more rural setting and moved north to Rathdrum, Idaho. Here, Burnham Petrographics shares two acres with a lovely home surrounded by evergreen trees, lakes and wildlife--truly one of the most beautiful places in the country.
--Brian Burnham, Owner
