Tales of people and events gleaned from the rich heritage Greer, SC, one of America's greatest small towns, are spotlighted in these pages. This collection of humorous newspaper columns features a variety of topics ranging from the buzzing barbershop in the middle of town to winning the state football championship to meticulous preparations for church communion services. Originally titled "Off the Record", the carefully-chosen columns were written by Leland E. Burch during his career as editor of The Greer Citizen. This collection spans Burch's career as editor of the award-winning weekly newspaper, 1985-2008, and draw from his experiences of growing up in Greer in the 1950's to becoming a senior citizen.
About the Author: Leland E. Burch grew up in Greer, SC, and walked to Greer High School--it was across the street from his home. During his high school years, Burch was editor of the school newspaper, "The Times," a member of the golf team and a trainer for the football team. Burch graduated from Wofford College, where he served as president of the student body, in 1961 and married his high school sweetheart, Margaret Griffin. After graduating from college, Burch joined the staff of The Greer Citizen, the weekly newspaper edited and published by his father, the late Edd A. Burch. Walter M. Burch, Leland's younger brother, joined the newspaper as advertising manager in 1966. Burch began his career at The Greer Citizen as sports editor and eventually added the duties of news editor and photography. Burch became editor of the newspaper in 1985 when his father passed away. He took over writing "Off the Record", a humorous editorial page column that his father had started in 1942 when he purchased the newspaper. Over the years, both the newspaper and Burch's "Off the Record" columns won numerous awards in SC Press Association annual competitions. Leland and Margaret Burch joined the First Presbyterian Church in 1961 and raised four sons, Eddie, Joey, Preston and John David. Margaret Burch represented the community on the Greenville County School Board for 20 years, 1982-2002, and served as the first female chairman. For the past five years, she has chaired the Greater Greer Education Foundation. Leland E. Burch retired as editor of The Greer Citizen in 2008, but has continued to cover Greer High football games for the newspaper. Burch is a member and past president of the SC Rose Society and the Greer Lions Club. An Elder in the Greer First Presbyterian Church, Burch currently serves on the Foothills Presbytery Nominations Committee. He is a member of the Greer Christian Learning Center board of directors and serves on the Greer Chamber of Commerce Legislative Action Committee. Burch has served as a member of the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport Commission since 1985.