The Choices We Make The Choice, As Always, Is Yours. Take Time To Think About It.

"The Choices We Make" delves into the philosophical foundations of life's critical decisions, offering thoughtful reflection through engaging personal anecdotes. Dr. Burry explores how principles like faith, character, and attitude shape our values and influence decisions about family, relationships, education, careers, and leisure. These choices, colored by our humor, adaptability, and forgiveness, define who we are and how we will be remembered.

The book encourages readers to reflect on the "rough spots, turns, and forks" encountered on their journeys and to consider the perspectives that guided their decisions. Drawing inspiration from Robert Frost's idea of choosing "the road less traveled," it highlights the interplay of destiny and legacy in the stories we craft through our choices. By understanding the past, "The Choices We Make" seeks to empower readers to create more meaningful paths forward, writing richer, more intentional chapters in the stories of their lives.

Dr. Charlie Burry, Jr., a native of Nevada, Missouri, was born in 1951 to Charles and Wilma Burry. The Burry family lived in Grand Junction, Colorado, and Biloxi, Mississippi, before settling in Hartsville, South Carolina, in 1959. Growing up in a family of avid readers, young Charlie also developed a love for books, which was further nurtured when his father opened Burry Bookstore in 1972. For more than 60 years, the Burry family played a significant role in the growth and development of the Hartsville community.

Dr. Burry is a Hartsville High graduate (1969), and earned degrees from Furman University (B.A. History, 1973), Francis Marion College (M.Ed., 1976), and USC (Ed.D., 1993). A teacher, coach, counselor, and principal, he retired in 2018 after 45 years in public education. He was recognized by the South Carolina Athletic Administrators Association as the 2018 AAAA Principal of the Year. Dr. Burry was also honored with the 2014-15 Distinguished Principal Award by the Darlington County School District and will soon be inducted as a member of the Class of 2025 into the Darlington County School District Hall of Fame. A self-professed wordsmith, Burry enjoys expressing his thoughts through the written word. He has authored and self-published two memoirs: "Life Lessons: Principally Speaking" (2020) and "I Got a Better Idea" (2022).

Dr. Burry is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Hartsville, and he recently chaired the Board of Directors of the Trent Hill Center for Children & Families. He enjoys watching sports, listening to music, reading, writing, kayaking on Black Creek near Hartsville, South Carolina, and spending time in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Saluda, North Carolina. Burry is married to the former Debby Sturgeon of Columbia, South Carolina, who is a retired registered nurse. They have two daughters, Beth and Caye – both graduates of Hartsville High School and Furman University – who are highly successful in their own personal and professional lives.