A scholarship fund is being created at the University of Maryland in honor of Josh Burdette, the longtime bouncer and manager at DC’s famed 9:30 Club who died last weekend at the age of 36. The Josh Burdette Student Entertainment Events Scholarship will be awarded annually to a Maryland student involved in the College Park campus’s events planning organization.
Burdette, who graduated from Maryland’s honors program in 1998 with a psychology degree, was active in the Student Entertainment Events program, commonly known as SEE. Befitting his future at the 9:30 Club, he was SEE’s security director, a gig that grew out of sideline jobs working the doors at frat parties.
Unmissable with his six-foot-three, 340-pound frame covered in tattoos and body piercings, including saucer-sized ear gauges, Burdette was perhaps better known as “That Guy from the 9:30 Club,” a moniker he proudly adopted. But despite the intimidating appearance, he was beloved by 9:30 patrons for a calm, gentle demeanor. To everyone but the most disruptive guests, he was generous and welcoming, and quicker to talk to people than hoist them out the door.
“I know I can be an intimidating presence,” Burdette said in the February 2009 issue of Washingtonian, “but I don’t try to carry myself that way.”
Burdette stayed active with SEE after graduation, volunteering his services and acting as a mentor to his successors. Donations can be made on the scholarship’s Web page.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
University of Maryland Establishes Scholarship in Memory of Late 9:30 Club Bouncer
Josh Burdette, who graduated from Maryland in 1998, will be remembered by his alma mater through a scholarship for students active in campus events.
A scholarship fund is being created at the University of Maryland in honor of Josh Burdette, the longtime bouncer and manager at DC’s famed 9:30 Club who died last weekend at the age of 36. The Josh Burdette Student Entertainment Events Scholarship will be awarded annually to a Maryland student involved in the College Park campus’s events planning organization.
Burdette, who graduated from Maryland’s honors program in 1998 with a psychology degree, was active in the Student Entertainment Events program, commonly known as SEE. Befitting his future at the 9:30 Club, he was SEE’s security director, a gig that grew out of sideline jobs working the doors at frat parties.
Unmissable with his six-foot-three, 340-pound frame covered in tattoos and body piercings, including saucer-sized ear gauges, Burdette was perhaps better known as “That Guy from the 9:30 Club,” a moniker he proudly adopted. But despite the intimidating appearance, he was beloved by 9:30 patrons for a calm, gentle demeanor. To everyone but the most disruptive guests, he was generous and welcoming, and quicker to talk to people than hoist them out the door.
“I know I can be an intimidating presence,” Burdette said in the February 2009 issue of Washingtonian, “but I don’t try to carry myself that way.”
Burdette stayed active with SEE after graduation, volunteering his services and acting as a mentor to his successors. Donations can be made on the scholarship’s Web page.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Inside the Library of Congress’s Collection
Trump Wants to Prosecute Beyoncé, That DC “Worst Traffic” Study Is Flawed, and Our Food Critic Tried Lucky Danger
Apparently Those “5 Things” Emails Were “Not Efficient,” Cheryl Hines Thinks DC Is a “Deadbeat Town,” and You Should Go See Some Punk Rock at the Library
Congressman Proposes Renaming Entire Kennedy Center for Trump, Poll Says Most Americans Are Paying Attention to Epstein Story, and We Tell You Where to Get a Mahjong Game
No One Wants to Buy Trump Books Anymore, Washington Post Loses Big Names, and We Got a Peek at the Renovated Air and Space Museum
Washingtonian Magazine
August Issue: Best Burgers
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
Need to Know What Time It Is? 6 Places to Find a Sundial Around DC.
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
More from News & Politics
Journalists Savor Prospect of Pete Hegseth Running for Office, Trump Wants a White House Ballroom, and Katie Ledecky Won Another World Title
Eric Adjepong on Mixing Tradition and Modernity at His DC Restaurant Elmina
Can the Education Department Really Force Virginia Schools to Change Their Policies About Trans Kids?
Rax King’s New Essay Collection Celebrates the “Sloppy” Side of DC Culture
Congressman Proposes Renaming Entire Kennedy Center for Trump, Poll Says Most Americans Are Paying Attention to Epstein Story, and We Tell You Where to Get a Mahjong Game
DC Council Votes to Slow Down and Cap Tipped Wage Increases
Trump Wants to Prosecute Beyoncé, That DC “Worst Traffic” Study Is Flawed, and Our Food Critic Tried Lucky Danger
Too Hot for Ice Cream? Store Owners Say Extreme Heat Actually Keeps Customers at Home.