Verna Burgess was the daughter of Dr. John Burgess and Emma Burgess and was the second oldest of four daughters. Her father operated a drug store and had a medical practice in Lakefield and the girls received their early schooling there, coming to Peterborough to finish high school, and in Verna's case, to attend the Peterborough Normal School. Burgess taught for the Peterborough Board of Education at King Edward and Queen Alexandra Public Schools, and was also associated with the Normal School as a practice and critic teacher. A tobogganing accident confined her to bed for a considerable time, during which she began extramural studies through Queen's University, eventually going to Kingston to complete an Honours B.A. in English and History. Subsequently she finished her M.A. She joined the staff of the Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School where she taught history until her retirement. She was an excellent and inspiring teacher and a public-spirited citizen. She was a member of the original committee set up to study the feasibility of the establishment of Trent University. (Taken from a typewritten note by Fern A. Rahmel, which accompanied the fonds, and from information supplied by Gordon Young. The Rahmel note is located in the Rahmel donor file, Trent University Archives).