HOUSTON- In 1941, in Houston, Zinetta A. Burney was the second of four children born to John and Thelma Arceneaux. At the age of 17, she gave birth to her only child, Sharon Maria Burney.

Later, she became a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) and earned her G.E.D. In 1968, she graduated from Texas Southern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. She is an alumnus of Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University.

Attorney Burney was the Senior Partner at Burney & Foreman. Before being elected presiding Justice of the Peace of Harris County Court Precinct 7,  she served as Special Judge for various Harris County Criminal Courts. She has been recognized by the City of Houston, Housing Authority of the City of Houston, NAACP ­ Alex Award, United Negro College Fund, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Houston Lawyers Association, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Omega Chapter, United Cerebral Palsy Association, Riverside General Hospital, YMCA, the Houston Sun, the Houston Defender, The Prestage Woods Women’s Legal Society, the Missouri City Chapter of Links, Inc., Channel 13’s Women of Distinction, Houston Black Firefighters Association, and Texas Legislative Black Caucus.

Her service includes the University of Houston System Board of Regents (appointed by Governor Ann Richards), Board of Commissioners for the Housing Authority of the City of Houston, Mayor Lee P. Brown’s Transition Coordinating Committee, and Boards of the United Way of Texas Gulf Coast, Jesse Jackson Academy, Donald R. Watkins Aids Foundation, Main Street Market Square Redevelopment Authority. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Third Ward Redevelopment Council, South Main Center Association, Main Street Coalition, Old Spanish Trail/Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Authority and a Senior Fellow of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Leadership Forum.

We salute Zinetta A. Burney as this week’s Living Legend and invite you to send in who you think will make a good Living Legend and why they should be honored.