Column: Perry (Iowa) principal Dan Marburger was a true every-day hero like many school administrators
I think I would have enjoyed meeting Dan Marburger.
He seems like the kind of administrator who would have enjoyed a friendly meeting with a visiting media member over a hot dog and Diet Pepsi as a night of high school basketball was set to unfold at Perry High School.
Being the grandson of a late Iowa farmer who never met a stranger, I’m always up for conversation. Marburger and I would have had a lot in common, with me being from nearby Carroll and undoubtedly having some other connections created by being involved in sports in small-town Iowa. I’d also like to hear about his football career at Central College and his growing up in eastern Iowa, a place somehow I never visited much during my 24 years of living in the western part of the state.
We’d have plenty of time to visit before the games, between the games and after as I wrapped up my story and he stayed to make sure I had a place to work. I’m sure at least another hot dog would be involved and maybe some nachos.
Marburger, the longtime Perry High School principal, died Sunday from injuries sustained when a 17-year-old student fired shots at the school before turning the gun on himself on the morning of Jan. 4 – the first day back after winter break. It was reported that Marburger was trying to distract the shooter to keep other students safe. A sixth-grader, Ahmir Jolliff, died the day of the shooting.
It is true that school shootings in this county have become an epidemic. Terrorists hijacked airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, and orchestrated the worst act of terror in U.S. history, and it never happened again. Strict rules were put in place to secure our airports and aircrafts.
But school shootings and other mass shootings continue to occur. It is a hot-button political issue that is sure to get someone riled up if you discuss it in a group or on social media. That’s a discussion I want no part of.
When I see news coverage of these events, I think of only one thing – the victims and their families. My heart immediately went out to Jolliff’s and Marburger’s families. Marburger leaves behind a wife, Elizabeth, and five children. I also think of all the parents that day who were horrified by the fact their kids were at the school, hoping they were safe.
The school shootings hit close to home for my wife, Sheena, and me. We have two sons, J.D. and Luke, who are ninth- and seventh-graders, respectively. I drop them off and see them home from school and practice each day. We know if incidents like this can happen in Perry, Iowa, they can happen in Bryant, Ark., a bedroom community outside of Little Rock where we’ve lived for many years.
My mom was a teacher and daycare administrator in Carroll for decades. I have so many other friends, relatives, colleagues and others I know who have taught or worked in schools. I think of all of them when these tragedies strike.
The day after the Perry shooting, it was a Friday, and our middle school principal was dancing to music coming from a speaker when I pulled up to drop off Luke. I covered him when he played college baseball, and he was initially an elementary school PE teacher and a football coach at Bryant High School. I know he would do the same thing Marburger, a former athletic director, did for his students.
Same thing holds true at our junior high, where the principal is also a former high school assistant football coach, and one of the assistant principals a former head baseball coach at a smaller school. They have the task of keeping more than 1,800 kids safe each day. I admire all the administrators and school resource officers I know for their dedication to teach and protect our kids. It isn’t an easy job, and in today’s climate, they all must be prepared for the worst. Some parents take them for granted, but they shouldn't.
Marburger was known for pitching in around the school, even cleaning the gym floor. So, it is easy to assume that he wouldn’t have cared for all the attention. What he would be pleased with, however, is how much support is being given his beloved Perry, where he lived since 1995.
I Saw the Sign, a business in my hometown, organized a T-shirt fundraiser. Through social media, they set a goal of selling shirts in all of Iowa’s 99 counties and all 50 states. Of course, I put Arkansas on the board. With all proceeds of the ‘Perry Strong’ shirts going to the community, it had raised more than $20,000 at last check.
It didn’t surprise me that my home state rallied around Perry. The act of kindness in Carroll was just one of many, including high school and college and pro teams that wore some sort of blue – Perry’s main school color.
Marburger was doing his job. He did something that many of his peers would do. Just like we had a greater respect for our first responders following 9/11, we need to have the same respect for school administrators, teachers, coaches and staff. They do so much for our children and are willing to do whatever is necessary to educate and protect them. Marburger's act of heroism is a shining example.
(Photo courtesy of Facebook)
--Nate Olson I @ndosports
Nate Olson is a regional editor for SBLive Sports covering Arkansas, Iowa and Nebraska and has covered high school sports in his native Iowa and Arkansas since 1997.
