The bronze bas relief might have been missing, but the family and friends of longtime Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger still sculpted his perfect likeness in words of love and healing Wednesday in the Wall of Witnesses ceremonies.
Elizabeth Marburger, the wife of Dan, said her husband “positively impacted four decades of students and staff,” and she outlined some details of the public-facing side of her husband’s life, such as that he was born June 6, 1967, in Clinton, Iowa, the son of Richard “Ike” and Carole (Kramer) Marburger. He was raised in Sabula, Iowa, “the Island City,” and graduated from East Central Community High School in Miles, Iowa, in 1985 and then from Central College in Pella in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in education. He later earned a master’s degree in educational administration from Drake University.
Playing football at Central College for legendary Coach Ron Schipper, Marburger lived the core values of being a gentleman, a scholar and an athlete. After graduating, he taught at East Central High School and served as one of the youngest athletic directors in Iowa before becoming associate principal at Perry High School in 1995. Marburger became PHS principal in 1997. In 2007 he was named Administrator of the Year by the Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association.
Under his 27-year leadership of PHS, numerous academic programs were launched, including High Schools That Work, Project Creating Independence through Student-owned Strategies (CRISS), Data-Driven Leadership, Outcomes-Based Education and Forty Developmental Assets. Important revisions in the PHS curriculum included the expansion of advanced placement courses, increased graduation expectations, the development of tutorial services for math, science and reading and the expansion of concurrent college credit course opportunities with the DMACC at Perry VanKirk Career Academy. In the area of student services, developments included the School Resource Officer program, Alternative School program, At-Risk Program and the Student Advisor program.
“Dan was a big man with an even bigger heart,” Elizabeth Marburger said. “Dan represented the best qualities of being a Bluejay.”
Many people in Perry saw and knew the public-facing Dan Marburger, but Wednesday’s ceremonies also illustrated his private side. For instance, Marburger was a ubiquitous presence at Perry’s athletic events, but he was not there only in his job as a supervisor. He was there for reasons that reveal the quality of his character.
“Dan didn’t like to miss games because it was so important to him to be able to talk with kids whose parents weren’t able to attend an event,” Elizabeth Marburger explained. “So he would make a point of picking out those kids, noticing which parents weren’t there, and then finding them in the hallways the next day or in the lunchroom and just talking to them about the games. I think that came from his high school years when he didn’t have someone there doing that for him.”
She said Dan took the moral mission of being a Bluejay as seriously as the academic and athletic sides.
“That’s just the kind of guy Dan was,” Elizabeth Marburger said. “He went out of his way to make life the best for others with unconditional love and support.” In brief remarks, Claire Marburger and Ainsley Marburger gave further evidence of their father’s quiet strength and steadfast love.
Other speakers shared memories of Marburger on the job, including stories from PCSD Superintendent Clark Wicks, retired PCSD Superintendent Dr. Randy McCaulley, faculty member Brenda Mintun, retired faculty member Damon Adair and student Nate Lutterman.
Clay Thompson, a Jefferson native who attended Central College with Marburger in the 1980s and now lives in Tennessee, said his friend Dan understood “the value of doing hard things,” and he gave concrete proof of that understanding on Jan. 4, 2024.
“Dan’s actions of Jan. 4 will forever impact Perry,” Elizabeth Marburger said. “Family trees will continue to grow and blossom because of Dan’s actions of Jan. 4. The kids and I knew well the Dan the world saw on Jan. 4. He’s our protector. He’s our comfort to be close to and a very empathetic man, and he demonstrated this in his last moments as principal at PHS. He protected as many kids and staff as he could. He tried to comfort and reassure a troubled young man by trying — not just once — to get him to lower his shotgun and stop shooting because it’s never too late to make a better choice. Dan was a hero that day.”
Wednesday’s Wall of Witnesses ceremonies were moderated by Hometown Heritage at the Carnegie Library Museum Director Bill Clark, who welcomed the large crowd and outlined the history of and inspiration for the Wall of Witnesses, which was founded by Roberta Green Ahmanson at the time of the Hotel Pattee’s restoration in the mid-1990s.
Marburger joins the august company of 28 others on the Wall of Witnesses through a nomination and selection process conducted by Hometown Heritage at the Carnegie Library Museum, Clark said. The free event was followed by light refreshments in the Spring Valley Ballroom of the Hotel Pattee.
Sculptor Rick Stewart of Newton, who has created several previous Wall of Witnesses bas reliefs, described the challenges and rewards of the Marburger project and apologized effusively for failing to deliver the artwork on time.
“While Rick’s a great sculptor, he’s lousy with a schedule,” said Clark.
The bas relief is expected to be installed in the near future.
