State Representative (District 58) DeWayne Burns, a member of the Cleburne High School Class of 1990, will find himself at the front of the line Thursday evening as he is honored by the Ex-Students Association as Homecoming Parade Marshal.

            The parade will begin at 6 p.m. at Cleburne High School and will be followed by a Community Pep Rally and the traditional bonfire, taking place adjacent to Marti Elementary School, 2020 W. Kilpatrick.

            “We are so pleased and honored to have DeWayne Burns leading the parade this year,” Ex-Students Association Committee member Shaylynn McDonald said. “He was a standout Cleburne Yellow Jacket who has continued to honor his high school and Cleburne through his involvement and service. We are so proud to have a Cleburne Yellow Jacket in the Texas legislature--and to call him our congressman.”

            Burns was a Senior Class officer and academic leader as a member of Beta Club and National Honor Society. He also competed in varsity soccer. Reflecting his agricultural roots, he was a four-year member of FFA.

            Following graduation, he attended Texas A & M University, followed by Tarleton State University, where he achieved a bachelor’s degree in 1994. His interest in agriculture began on the family farm, located in southwest Johnson County on the Brazos River. Burns’ first career stop was with the Texas Grain and Feed Association before being hired as a legislative analyst for State Representatives Arlene Wohlgemuth and Gary Walker.

            He continued to combine his life-long involvement in agriculture with a growing presence in state government, moving to the Texas Department of Agriculture under then-Commissioner Rick Perry. He rose to the position of Coordinator for Special Issues in the department’s Intergovernmental Affairs Division and served as a TDA inspector over a 10-county region.

            He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2014. He is currently Chairman of the Agriculture and Livestock Committee and serves on the Culture, Recreation & Tourism and House Administration Committees. In addition to his duties as a state representative for Johnson and Bosque Counties, Burns is involved in property and business investment management, and operations at the family farm.

He is married to his high school sweetheart, Jennifer (Ormsby) Burns-CHS 1991. All three of their children are CHS graduates. Burns served as vice-president on the Cleburne ISD Board of Trustees. His community service record includes President of the Johnson County Farm Bureau, membership on the Johnson County Economic Development Commission and Fire Commissioner for Johnson County’s Emergency Services District #1. The Burns family are members of First Baptist Church Cleburne where he is a deacon.