Police find elderly couple dead in home

Authorities in southeastern Idaho say an elderly man shot his wife before turning the handgun on himself in what they're calling an apparent murder-suicide. Robert Butler, an 81-year-old retired Idaho State ...

[Don67]

I was shocked to learn of the deaths of Robert Butler and his wife. Bob was a scholar and had principles. As a graduate student working on his Ph. D. at the U. of Washington one of his professors demanded that he repudiate the work of his mentor. He refused and got dropped from that program.
His research focused on the Dalles on the Columbia River. His work on the "Old Cordilleran Culture" yet stands as major contribution.
He needed a graduate degree to keep his position at ISU. He asked for me to chair his committee. His work was outstanding and his MA thesis focused on Idaho Archeology. I contacted the Idaho State Department of Education to republish his work, which they did. As I recall it was in the mid 1960s and all high schools in the state got copies of a guide to Idaho archeology.
My condolences to all.

[Jan ten Sythoff]

Onze nicht Tessa is niet meer. Wat een schok dat ze zo plotseling, samen met haar man Robert, is overleden. We bezochten haar nog in Pocatello toen we in Eugene woonden. Tessa zoals altijd erg hartelijk -net zoals haar moeder tante Net- en Robert brommerig. Zo was hij nu eenmaal. We wensen de kinderen Briëtte en Britt-Willem veel sterkte.

[Jan ten Sythoff]

Don,
do you have the addres of the children of Tessa and Bob?

Regards,
Jan ten Sijthoff (family of Tessa) [e-mail]

Don67 wrote:

I was shocked to learn of the deaths of Robert Butler and his wife. Bob was a scholar and had principles. As a graduate student working on his Ph. D. at the U. of Washington one of his professors demanded that he repudiate the work of his mentor. He refused and got dropped from that program.
His research focused on the Dalles on the Columbia River. His work on the "Old Cordilleran Culture" yet stands as major contribution.
He needed a graduate degree to keep his position at ISU. He asked for me to chair his committee. His work was outstanding and his MA thesis focused on Idaho Archeology. I contacted the Idaho State Department of Education to republish his work, which they did. As I recall it was in the mid 1960s and all high schools in the state got copies of a guide to Idaho archeology.
My condolences to all.