COMMERCE —
Oklahoma authorities say 64-year-old Gary Burton drowned Thursday afternoon while kayaking on the Mountain Fork River in southern Oklahoma, about three miles east of Broken Bow.
According to the Oklahoma Lake Patrol, a witness reported seeing Burton’s kayak flip, then saw Burton swimming toward the kayak when he stopped swimming.
Investigators say the witness was able to pull Burton to shore but was unable to resuscitate him. Burton was wearing a life vest, the patrol reported. A state medical examiner will perform an autopsy on Burton to determine if a medical issue contributed to his death.
Flags at Texas A&M University-Commerce flew at half staff Wednesday to honor Burton. Visitation for Burton, who joined the Texas A&M University-Commerce faculty in 1996, is Friday at 9 a.m. at Bright Holland Funeral Home in Paris, 2601 Lamar Avenue. Services will follow at 10 a.m.
Burton, of Quinlan, was an associate professor and theatre director in the department of Mass Media, Communication and Theatre at Texas A&M University-Commerce.
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A&M-Commerce professor drowns in Oklahoma River
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