Donald J. Berthrong (age 89), former chairman of the History Department at Purdue University, passed away on July 30, 2012 in Alexandria, Virginia after a brief battle with pneumonia. On October 9, 2012, he will join his wife, Rhio Berthrong, of over 60 years, at the Columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery. He is survived by his two children John Berthrong (Massachusetts) and Sherri Berthrong (Virginia) and his three grandchildren Sean Berthrong (North Carolina), Michael Killeen (Virginia), and Kerry Killeen (Virginia). Don Berthrong, who obtained his PhD from the University of Wisconsin, spent his academic life as a teacher, author, and administrator at both Purdue University and the University of Oklahoma with a focus on native Americans, especially the Southern Cheyenne. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his memory to Alzheimer's Association.
