Dr. John Altnow Dutton

1936 - 2026

Dr. John Altnow Dutton

September 11, 1936 - February 13, 2026

Boalsburg, Pennsylvania - Dr. John Altnow Dutton, meteorologist, educator, pilot, and entrepreneur, died peacefully on February 13, 2026. John was born on September 11, 1936 in Detroit, spent his early years in Iron River, Michigan, and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. He married the love of his life, Elizabeth, in January of 1962.

As a young man, John was a reporter at the Wisconsin State Journal and planned a career in journalism. However, serendipity changed his life. In 1955, he was dispatched to report on a University of Wisconsin engineering professor experimenting with tethered airplane take-offs. His reporting sparked an interest in aviation, and he began working toward a private pilot's license in April 1955. The ground school course for his license exposed him to meteorology, leading him to enroll in Meteorology 101 at the University of Wisconsin. The course was taught by Dr. Reid Bryson, whose introduction to meteorology so captivated John that he later became his Ph.D. advisor. John graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a B.S. in 1958 and a Ph.D. in 1964, both in Meteorology.

His interest in aviation and meteorology merged during his graduate school research. He flew a Cessna 310 across the Midwest conducting meteorological research and remained interested in aviation throughout his life. In his fifties, he regained currency on his pilot's certificate and flew his personal plane for many years. He fondly recounted his opportunity to land a wide-body jet in a commercial flight simulator. He was invited into the cockpit for takeoff on the Concorde and later sat in the jump seat during an international flight landing in Alaska.

John served in Air Force ROTC during college and graduate school. After graduation he continued his meteorological research during three years of active-duty service. His academic career began in 1965 at Penn State's Department of Meteorology and included several sabbatical visits to Denmark in the 1970s. He served as Head of the Department of Meteorology at Penn State from 1981 to early 1986. Over the course of his career, he contributed to the development of meteorological science and its practical application.

John was appointed Dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State in 1986, serving in that role until his retirement in 2002. He led the College through a period of rapid technological change, as personal computers, high-performance computing, and the internet reshaped scientific research and education. Having been an early adopter of computing in his own research, he worked to position the College to lead in an era defined by advanced computing and global connectivity.

After retiring from Penn State, John founded two weather information businesses between 2002 and 2009. His companies focused on developing decision-making aids based on complex meteorological concepts. The second business, Prescient Weather, remains successful today. Never one to sit idle, he somehow found time to serve as a board member at the Mount Nittany Health Foundation. While not pursuing these endeavors, John loved to travel with Elizabeth, and together they visited many parts of the US, as well as Europe, China, and Australia. At home, he enjoyed dinner with friends and family, filled with healthy debate and hearty laughter. He loved a joke well told.

Throughout his life, he remained dedicated to his family. He encouraged Elizabeth's genealogical research interests through computing and technical support, and stopping at many cemeteries driving between Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. John was attracted to sports involving wind and speed: sailing, windsurfing, and skiing. In particular, he loved skiing, which he enjoyed with his three boys throughout life. This started with runs down the nearby country club hillside on ancient wire-binding skis. They went on to ski together throughout the United States and in Europe. He drove his sons to numerous ski races across Pennsylvania and New England. John encouraged his sons' independence while also introducing them to mentors within his professional circle who helped shape their paths.

John was a devoted husband and father, a respected university and community leader, an Air Force officer, a pilot, a sailor, a skier, a mentor, an entrepreneur, and an accomplished scientist. He committed his life to contributing meaningfully to his family, his students, his colleagues, and the broader field of meteorology. His textbook, The Ceaseless Wind, became a foundational text in meteorology classrooms around the world. He influenced generations of students and faculty, encouraging rigorous thinking and bold pursuit of research and teaching.

John is survived by his wife of 64 years, Elizabeth Dutton, and his three sons, Christopher Evan, John Andrews, and Jan Frederik, and his brother Robert. He is also survived by five grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites those who wish to honor John's legacy to consider a gift to the "John & Elizabeth Dutton Excellence Fund" which supports the Dutton E-Education Institute in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Please send gifts to The Pennsylvania State University, Donor and Member Services, 329 Innovation Blvd, Suite 311, State College, PA 16803-6606. You may also contact Chris Brida at cmb273@psu.edu in the College of Earth and Mineral Science for additional ways to give.

A celebration of life will take place at 1:00PM on Saturday, May 2, at the Nittany Lion Inn.

Online condolences may be shared at www.kochfuneralhome.com.