The principal of Perry High School, the school involved in a deadly shooting on January 4 in Perry, Iowa, died early Sunday as the result of injuries he sustained in the incident. The wife of Principal Dan Marburger, Elizabeth, wrote on a GoFundMe page for the family: “At 8:00 am, Jan (14), Dan lost his battle. He fought hard and gave us ten days that we’ll treasure forever.” Marburger worked in the Perry school district for nearly 30 years (Perry is located in a rural part of Iowa about 40 miles northwest of the state capital of Des Moines).
Marburger is the second fatality of the school shooting at Perry High School on the first day of classes following winter break. The other victim is 11-year-old sixth grader Ahmir Jolliff, who died last week when 17-year old Dylan Butler opened fire on students and staff in the cafeteria of Perry High School, a common area that connected the high school and middle schools, after making ominous social media posts from what was believed to be a high school bathroom. After killing Jolliff and injuring several other students and staff, Butler died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with police saying he was found with a handgun and modified rifle near his body.
Marburger told the Perry Chief when he started there in 1995: “I always knew I’d be a teacher. I had great teachers I wanted to be like.” Early in his career, Marburger taught social studies for four years and then middle school computer skills for two years; he also taught physical education and had been an athletic director and middle school administrator.
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