Born in Wilmington, California, Frank graduated from Banning High School in Wilmington, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pepperdine College, a Master of Science in Education from the University of Southern California and a Doctor of Education degree in Middle East Studies and Comparative Education from the University of California at Los Angeles. He took classes in Islamic Culture at the Tehran University, Iran.
Dr. Burroughs lived and worked in the Middle East for more than fifteen years. While there, he served with UNESCO and the Ford Foundation in Saudi Arabia. He was a consultant to the Prime Minister and Minister of Health in Iran and worked in the Ministry of Court during the Fifth Asian Games and the 2500th Anniversary of the Iranian Monarchy. He represented Mohammad Reza Shah as a personal representative to President Jimmy Carter. He served as Managing Director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Iran until the seizure of the U.S. Embassy following the Islamic Revolution, hid out for ten days and quietly left the country.
After returning to the United States, Dr. Burroughs worked with the U.S. Department of Commerce in the promotion of exports and as a Visiting Scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy. He has taught at the University of California, Berkeley and Vista College and has served as Chair of the MBA Program and Acting Dean of the School of Business, Notre Dame de Namur University. For more than seven years he worked as Business Manager of the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church. He currently teaches at John F. Kennedy University and serves as a contractor with the U.S. Department of State.
Dr. Burroughs’ awards include a Certificate of Recognition by the Senate of the State of California, a Certificate of Recognition by the California State Assembly and two Certificates of Recognition for his work on the 2500th Celebration of the Iranian Monarchy.
Additional Works
In Progress:
Patterns on a Prayer Rug (A series of vignettes regarding a U.S. citizen’s life in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.) You know this is published.
East Bay Times Op-Ed Pieces
“WC Presbyterian Church Faces Crucial Question,” “East Bay Times,” (Bay Area News Group) March 16, 2018
“Time to Notice the Conflict Between Arab Nations and the Palestinians,” “East Bay Times” (Bay Area News Group), April3, 2017.
“Not Much Has Worked in Middle East, Now Trump Must Try His Hand,” “East Bay Times” (Bay Area News Group), January 30, 2017.
“Immigration Reform—Reality or Boondoggle?” “East Bay Times” (Bay Area
News Group), September 12, 2016.
“Candidates Long on Self-Appreciation, Short on Policy,” “East Bay Times” (Bay Area News Group), August 8, 2016.
“Best Way to Conquer Brutality and Selfishness? Try Compassion,” Bay Area News Group, December 13, 2015.
“Arab-Palestinian Conflict Often Goes Unnoticed in Debate,” “Contra Costa Times” (Bay Area News Group), August 24, 2014.
“Disinviting Iran a Diplomatic Mistake,” “Contra Costa Times,” (Bay Area News Group), January 26, 2014.
“Understanding Middle East Not Simple,” “Contra Costa Times,” (Bay Area News Group), January 12, 2013
“Death to America’ Still Echoes,” “Contra Costa Times,” (Bay Area News Group), November 9, 2013.
“Immigration Reform Must Focus on Clear Path to Citizenship,” “Contra Costa Times,” (Bay Area News Group) July 7, 2013.
“Inflammatory Film Has Little to do With Middle East Turmoil,” Bay Area News Group, Sunday, September 23, 2012.
The Sentinel Record
“Reflecting on Past, Hoping for Better Future,” “The Sentinel-Record,” Hot Springs, Arkansas, January 13, 2014.
The San Francisco Chronicle Op-Ed Pieces
“A Route to Immigration Reform: Reorganize How Congress Deals With It,” “The San Francisco Chronicle,” January 14, 2018.
“PG&E’s Request An Insult to Customers,” “The San Francisco Chronicle,” November 3, 2017.
“A Significant BART Problem: Lack of Courtesy,” “The San Francisco Chronicle,” April 23, 2017.
Miscellaneous Op-Ed Pieces
“Remembering Iran’s Seizure of Our Embassy in Tehran,” “The Wall Street Journal,” October 23, 2012.
“Traveling Memory Lane,” “The Sentinel Record,” Hot Springs, Arkansas, August 22, 2012.
“America has Lost Influence and Power and Must Adjust,” Opinion, Letters to the Editor, “The Wall Street Journal,” April 19, 2012.
The New York Times
“The U.S. Role in Venezuela’s Turmoil,” Letters to the Editor, January 30, 2019
Miscellaneous Articles
“My Failed Foray Into International Diplomacy,” “Diablo Gazette,” March 2018.
“President Trump’s Middle East IED,” “Diablo Gazette,” January 2018.
“Dr. M. Norvel Young: A Long-Time Personal Hero,” “Promenade: The George Pepperdine College Newsletter,” Fall 2017.
“Victims of the World War II U.S.-Japan Conflict: Recalling Camp Manzanar,” “The Inyo Register,” December 6, 2016.
“Aging Gracefully or Becoming Irrelevant? That is the Question,” “Article Online Directory,” September 23, 2012.”
“2012: The Year of Hyperbole,” “Article Online Directory,” September 28, 2012.
“The U.S. and Iran: A Look at U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Iran,” (English and Russian), ILIN, Number 3, 2012. (Published in Eastern Russia.)
“The Role of the English Language in Developing Countries,” “Public Administration Journal.” Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, July 1970.
“Higher Educational Developments in Iran,” “Journal of the American Association of Junior Colleges,” October 1969.
“Robert College and Turkish Advancement,” “Muslim World,” 1964.
“Teacher Training and Public health,” “Peabody Journal of Education,” 1963.
“Approaches to the Unfamiliar,” “Peabody Journal of Education,” 1960.
Books
“From Tehran to Marrakesh,” Insight, Hindsight and Flights of Fancy, (Shadow of the Mountain Writers Guild), Walnut Creek, CA, Andrew Benzie Creative Design, February 2018.
“The Devil Dancers on Route 66,”Tremors: Short Fiction by California Writers, Berkeley, CA, Azalea Art Press, 2014.
The Pepper Tree Kingdom, Sothern Pines, North Carolina, Azalea Arts Press, 2013
The World of Learning: A Collection of Essays, Santa Rosa, CA, Nobel Press, 1997
Europe 1992 and E.C.-U.S. Trade Flow. Berkeley, CA: Armstrong University, 1989
An Historical Outline of Education in Iran. Tehran, Iran: Published Privately, 1972.