John Avery Dittmer

John Avery Dittmer, 84, passed away on Friday, July 19th, 2024, after a brief illness.
Born in Seymour, Indiana on October 30, 1939, he was the son of the late J. Avery and Melba (Ahlbrand) Dittmer, and the oldest of six children. He was a graduate of Seymour High School and attended Indiana University, where he earned his bachelor's degree. Rather than attend his graduation ceremony, he instead married Ellen Tobey, who also elected to skip her graduation. John then returned to Indiana to study, where he earned his PhD in history.
After completing his coursework, he moved his growing family to Mississippi, where he taught at Tougaloo College. While at Tougaloo, he completed the first of his three books, Black Georgia in the Progressive Era. In 1980, he took a one-year appointment at Brown University and relocated the family to Providence, Rhode Island. A one-year stint at Brown turned into 6 years of teaching and writing in Providence at both Brown and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he began researching and writing his second book, Local People, a history of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. Published in 1995, Local People earned several awards, including the Bancroft Award for American History. In 1985, John accepted a position at DePauw University where he taught History until retiring in 2003. His third book, The Good Doctors, was published in 2010.
John was an athlete and a sports fan who loved playing tennis and golf and enjoyed walking outdoors. His passion was sports. He was a frequent attendee of DePauw women's basketball games, but his loyalty was always with his Alma Mater. He seldom missed an IU football game, and never missed an IU basketball game, both men's and women's. (Note: he would, however, sometimes turn off the games in frustration.) He and his wife Ellen enjoyed travel, especially to visit their daughter Julie and her family in Georgia, and their son Dave and his family in Maine.
John is survived by his wife, Ellen; his daughter, Julie Hutchinson, her husband George Hutchinson and their children, Craig (Nicole Fanelli) Hutchinson and Catlin (Bruce) Buckers; his son Dave, Dave's wife Marie, and their daughters Grace and Rose; his sisters, Polly Berent and Patty Cress; and his brother, Randy (Dude). John is preceded in death by his younger brothers Stan and Tony.
All services will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in John's name may be gifted to an organization of the donor's choosing.
Care has been entrusted to Voss and Sons Funeral and Cremation Services, 316 North Chestnut Street, Seymour, Indiana. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at a future date. You are invited to visit our website, vossfuneralservice.com, to leave condolences or share a memory.
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