WICHITA FALLS ( KFDX/KJTL ) — Community leader, city councilor, Wichitan of the Year and 2024 grand marshal of the MLK Parade Dorothy Roberts Burns has died, according to city officials.

Roberts Burns passed away on Thursday morning, April 25, 2024, after reportedly suffering from an illness for the past few months, friends said.

Born in 1936, she worked for the City of Wichita Falls for over 40 years, becoming the first Black person hired in a white-collar job by the city in 1964.

Since 1978, Roberts Burns has worked with the Martin Luther King Center and played an instrumental role in its foundation. She established the annual MLK Breakfast, which now sees over 1,000 attendees each year.

She served six years as a councilor for District 2 and was then elected as Councilor at Large. In 2005, she was named Wichitan of the Year.

Roberts Burns was also named a grand marshal for the Martin Luther King Parade alongside Diann Taylor in January of this year.

While Roberts Burns was unable to attend that ceremony, her family shared sentiments of the councilor who, for more than 30 years, worked tirelessly on the MLK Prayer Breakfast, pouring thousands into scholarships to help minority populations receive quality education.

“My mom, she never would stand out in front,” Mary Ann Merriex, Roberts Burns’ daughter, said. “She’d do the work, but she’d always be in the background.”

A celebration of life ceremony has not yet been planned, but we will share that information as it comes along.

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