What we know about late Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger, hailed as hero
Perry High School's principal, Dan Marburger, died early Sunday. He had been hospitalized since he was wounded in a shooting spree at the school on Jan. 4 and underwent extensive surgery.
Live updates: Multiple people shot at Perry High School on Thursday; police say they know shooter
What we know about Perry High Principal Dan Marburger
Marburger had been principal at the high school since 1995.
A native of Sabula on the Mississippi River, he was the youngest son of six children. His parents were in business and farming.
Marburger's education and experience
Marburger, 56, graduated from East Central Community High School in Miles, where he was class president.
He earned a degree in social studies education from Central College in 1989, as well as a master’s degree in educational administration from Drake University. He played football at Central.
He taught social studies at East Central High and then middle school computer skills for two years. He also taught physical education and had been an athletic director and middle school administrator.
He started as an assistant principal at Perry High and spent most of his time working with students on attendance and discipline issues.
His personal message in his Perry school district biography is a quote attributed to Maya Angelou: “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
Marburger acted heroically
Marburger and wife Elizabeth had five children. Their daughter Claire described her father on Facebook as always involved with and supportive of his children.
Teachers at the school said he was deeply involved in every aspect of the school, even cleaning the gym floor.
On the morning of the shootings, according to several accounts, Marburger tried to distract the shooter, 17-year-old student Dylan Butler, giving other students time to flee to safety. Butler, who also killed another student, Ahmir Jolliff, and wounded six other people, took his own life.
"Dan courageously put himself in harm’s way to protect his students, and ultimately gave his own life to save them," Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a message directing all flag at state facilities be flown at half-staff in his honor.
Marburger and Perry have mourned together several times in recent years
Marburger and the Perry Community School District had seen several deaths in the past three years.
Perry High School senior Melanie Gonzalez, 18, drowned in May 2021.
Two Perry students from Jamaica, 13- and 15-year-olds Walter and Daisy Gavidia, were killed in a car crash in March 2023. Their 17-year-old sister, Edlyn Gavidia, another Perry student, was left in critical condition.
And a Perry High School industrial technology teacher, Chad Morman, 39, was killed in April 2023 in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 141.
“I think there’s a cumulative effect of that, particularly among staff,” Marburger said at the time. “We have to get out of this trend, it’s almost constant sadness.”
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Phillip Sitter focuses for the Des Moines Register on reporting on suburban growth and development in the western metro areas. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. He is on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @pslifeisabeauty.
Samantha Hernandez and Allison Ullmann contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Perry High Principal Dan Marburger: what to know about his life
