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Donald Burton
DONALD BURTON
Iowa City
Professor Donald J. Burton passed away Wednesday, May 31, 2017. He was 82 years old.
Born July 16, 1934, in Baltimore, Md., Professor Burton was an internationally recognized organic fluorine chemist and a member of the faculty at the University of Iowa Department of Chemistry for 45 years. He was a prodigious researcher, a mentor to scores of Ph.D. and post-doctoral candidates, a passionate and rigorous teacher to thousands of undergraduate students, as well as a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Dr. Burton graduated Summa Cum Laude from Loyola College in Baltimore in 1956. He studied organic fluorine chemistry with Dr. W.T. Miller at Cornell University, where he was awarded a Ph.D. in organic fluorine chemistry in 1961. He completed postdoctoral work with Nobel Laureate Dr. H.C. Brown at Purdue University in 1961-62.
In 1962, Dr. Burton was appointed assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Iowa. He was elevated to associate professor in 1967 and promoted to full professor in 1970. In 1989, Dr. Burton was appointed the Roy Carver/Ralph Shriner Professor of Chemistry, a chair he would hold until his retirement in 2007.
Dr. Burton was a tireless researcher during his tenure at the University of Iowa, working with his Ph.D. candidates, publishing more than 350 original academic papers and reviews, delivering 330 lectures around the world, and co-authoring a number of chemistry textbooks. Students from around the world sought him out to study with him. His research brought in millions of dollars of grants to the university. After transitioning to emeritus status, he continued to publish papers in academic journals.
Dr. Burton's impact in his field was recognized with numerous awards and invitations to lecture internationally. In 1984, he was awarded a Special Creativity Award of the National Science Foundation, as well as the American Chemical Society Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry. The state of Iowa awarded him the Governor's Science Medal for Scientific Achievement in 1988, and in 2003 he was recognized with an American Chemical Society Distinguished Service Award.
Dr. Burton was blessed to spend nearly 59 years of marriage with Margaret Burton. Don and Marge were inseparable and she worked as his assistant for many years, after raising five children. They traveled the world together, enjoyed the company of good friends and family, and spent countless hours together on the golf course. Don is survived by Margaret; their five children: Andy (Sheila), Jenny Cannon (Mark), David (Jordan Battani), Julie (Gentry Clayton) and Betsy (Jeff Atwood); and nine grandchildren: Kelsey, Zach (Abby) and Jessica Cannon, Andrew (Elaine) and Abby Burton, Miles Burton and Henry, June and Maisie Atwood and two (soon to be three) great-grandchildren.
Don took great pride in his children's accomplishments and cherished his relationships with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He also is survived by a sister, Catherine (Bob) Martel; and a brother, Lawrence (Iris) Burton.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Dorothy Burton.
A funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 5, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Iowa City. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, June 4, at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service in Iowa City.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Donald J. Burton and Margaret A. Burton Scholarship, c/o The University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA 52244-4550. This scholarship, established upon Dr. Burton's retirement by his five children, is awarded annually to an undergraduate chemistry major who shares Dr. Burton's passion for chemistry and demonstrates outstanding academic achievement in the classroom and in her/his research.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Bickford Senior Living, Iowa City, and Windmill Manor of Coralville for their care of Dr. Burton in his final months.
Online condolences may be made at www.lensingfuneral.com.
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