George Kent Burnett
Feb 19, 1945 - Apr 11th, 2022- Birth Date: Feb 19, 1945
- Death Date: Apr 11, 2022
- Funeral Date: Unknown
- Location:
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Biography: George “Kent” Burnett, 77, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away on April 11th, 2022. Kent was born in Mena, Arkansas on February 19, 1945. He graduated from Mena High School in 1963 and continued on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Arkansas. He was involved in Theta Tau, Sigma Pi, and served as Vice President of the U of A student body.
After graduation, he worked for IBM in Little Rock, AR, Minneapolis, MN, and Raleigh, NC. In 1979, he joined Dillard’s Department Stores as Vice President of Information Technology in Little Rock and held that position for five years. From 1984 to 2006, he served as Dillard’s Division Chairman in the Phoenix, AZ office before being named Dillard’s VP of Stores in Dallas, TX. He returned to Little Rock in 2009 to lead the E-Commerce Initiative as VP of Technology. He retired on September 30, 2016.
Since retirement, he joked that he worked harder than he ever did before. He kept himself busy through several boards and advisory groups. These include Inuvo, First Orion, CLL Global Research Fund, and the Peregrine Fund. He is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineers and the U of A College of Engineering Board of Advisors. His sense of adventure took him to all 7 continents, and he took many photos throughout his journeys. He spent many days out on the golf greens improving his game.
Kent Burnett was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend. Kent never met a stranger due to his engaging, friendly, and upbeat personality.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Deborah Doland Burnett, his son, Brian (Dawn) Burnett, his grandchildren, Marianne (Jacob) Sutton, TJ (Caroline) Burnett, and Robyn (John David) Lancaster, and his siblings, Reese Burnett, Georgia Fletcher, and Gary Burnett.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the CLL Global Research Fund or the Peregrine Fund. Respectively, more information can be found on cllglobal.org and peregrinefund.org Arrangements are under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com
We kept up with each other. Super person.
I met Kent in 1986 when we formed Delta Forum and remember his quite humor and friendship warmly
I worked closely with him as District Manager when he was VP of stores between 2006 and 2009. He was a good man, easy to talk to, and always looking for ways for us to improve. I shared many store visits with him, many ‘strategy’ sessions, many dinners, and even a few glasses of wine while we talked about cars, travel, and photography. May he forever Rest In Peace.
Ash and family
I enjoyed his smile and his humor and talking cars with him.
He is missed.
Scott Mikkelsen
My heart is heavy for each of you. Kent was a great man devoted to his family, and one of the kindest men I had the honor of knowing for many years. Words are hard to come by to convey my sympathy; however, I want you to know that each of you are in my thoughts and in my prayers.
With love,
Sandy Doland
May God comfort you through his word the Bible and the gift of prayer. Truly sorry for your loss.