David M. Whorton, Ph.D, husband and father, educator and aviator, musician and hiker, passed away in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Saturday, February 23, 2008, after a brief battle with cancer. His death cut short
a valiant fight to recover from a stroke, which he suffered last October while on vacation in Nashville, Tennessee.

He leaves behind his beloved wife, Lorrie; daughters Dana Clausen of Long Beach, CA, and Wendy (Brian)Murray of Portland, OR; son Derek Whorton in graduate
school in Seattle, WA; in-laws Jean and John Roberts of Sedona; nephew John Evans of Flagstaff; and brother Ron (Christine) Whorton of Oro Valley. His sister, Martha Rogers, and his parents preceded him in death.

Dr. Whorton was born November 9, 1939, in Cleveland, OK, to Duty and Annie Whorton. His family followed his father's teaching and military careers, in various
towns around Oklahoma, the American West, and later Linz, Austria, and Bremerhaven, Germany. These experiences whetted an appetite for adventure which never left him, leading later in life to home exchanges with British friends and travel in Canada, Europe, the Dominican Republic, and Australia.

He earned his Bachelor's in Music Education and Master of Science in Secondary Education at Oklahoma State University, where he was president of nearly
everything musical: the OSU marching band; Kappa Kappa
Psi and Phi Mu Alpha honorary fraternities; Commander
of the Air Force and Army ROTC Cadet Bands. He played
baritone horn in two National Intercollegiate Bands, sang in the Men's Glee Club, and ran a rodeo band noted mostly for being "loud."

A member of the Arnold Air Society while in college, Dr. Whorton was commissioned as an Air Force officer and rose to the rank of Captain over his five years of active duty. He served as a fighter pilot instructor,
flying the T-33, T-37, and the supersonic T-38 aircraft.

His career as an educator included stints in Oklahoma
as a music teacher and school superintendent. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Administration at the University of Texas at Austin in 1970, and moved to Flagstaff to teach doctoral students at Northern
Arizona University for 30 years, retiring as a full professor and faculty emeritus.

His many administrative positions include: Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies; Chairman of the NAU Faculty Association and University Faculty; Director of the School of Performing Arts; chair of numerous committees; and author/co-author of various
scholarly works and presentations in the areas of educational administration; organizational theory, and strategic planning.

Then-President Eugene Hughes charged him to help create NAU's Center for Excellence in Education, a radical idea in organization at the time,designed to improve teacher education. This achievement led to national and international presentations and enduring friendships with British colleagues "across the pond."

He served on North Central Association evaluation teams for dozens of schools around the state. The NCA inducted him into the 2000 "Circle of Excellence," and the Navajo Nation's NCA honored him with an Excellence
in Education Award. Other honors included the Wenstrand Award, from the University Honors Program, and the Distinguished Service Award from CEE at NAU.

With Dave, there was always time to hike. He was known throughout the university for organizing
"Whorton Death Marches," grueling group packbacking trips up and down various Grand Canyon trails. He performed with the Flagstaff Symphony for 17 years, playing only those notes he liked on his viola.

Raising his family, he sat through endless ballet and music recitals, then later, countless baseball,weightlifting, and football games plus Boy Scout events. And cheerfully carried his wife's luggage when she competed at weightlifting meets.

A celebration of his life will take place on Saturday, March 29, at 3 p.m. at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, at 1601 North San Francisco Street in Flagstaff.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society, the Grand Canyon National Park Foundation, or Northland Hospice.