Retired School District Official Robert Shanks

Robert Ellsworth Shanks, who was superintendent of the Burbank Unified School District for 11 years and taught graduate education courses at a number of local universities, has died at his Burbank residence. He was 72.

Shanks died Wednesday of cancer, his wife, Nancy Jane Shanks, said.

Born Aug. 6, 1918, in Findlay, Ill., Shanks came to California in 1937. During World War II, he served in the Navy and remained in the active reserve, achieving the rank of commander. Shanks earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from USC.

A trombone player and published composer, he taught music at an Inglewood junior high school for five years after the war before becoming principal of an elementary school in Anaheim. He later served as assistant superintendent of the Anaheim City School District and as superintendent from 1956 to 1967.

In 1967, Shanks was hired as superintendent of the Burbank Unified School District, a position he held until his retirement in 1978. He also taught graduate education courses at USC, Pepperdine University and Cal State Fullerton.

He later served as a special hearing officer for the state Department of Education, and in 1983 returned to the district as a substitute teacher, eventually teaching English as a second language at the Burbank Adult School until February. Shanks was a member of the Burbank Rotary Club, the board of directors of the Salvation Army in Burbank and the board of trustees of the Burbank Community Hospital. He was a regional ticket manager during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and was active with the Burbank Chamber of Commerce.

He is survived by sons Wyman Shanks of Placentia, Calif., James Henry Shanks of Burbank; daughters Jane Anne Chambers of Woodland, Calif., and Priscilla Shanks of New York City; brothers Donald Shanks of Downey, Harold Shanks of Roseburg, Ore., and William B. Shanks of Palm Springs; and five grandchildren.

A memorial service was held Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church of Burbank, where he was an elder. Forest Lawn Mortuary-Hollywood Hills handled the arrangements. Donations can be sent in Shanks’ name to the church, the Salvation Army in Burbank or a charity of the donor’s choice.