Dr. David M. Witten

Dr. David M. Witten, University of Missouri professor emeritus of radiology, died on Saturday, May 12, 2007, at Methodist Hospital in Rochester, MN.
An informal reception in celebration of his life will be held from 5:30 until 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 17, 2007 at the Country Club of Missouri, 1300 Woodrail Ave. in Columbia
Dr. Witten grew up in Trenton and graduated from Trenton High School. His attendance at Trenton Junior College was interrupted by service in the U.S. Navy in World War II. After the war, he pursued undergraduate studies and medical school at Washington University in St. Louis.
After two years of general medicine practice in Trenton, he pursued a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. After completing a master’s degree in radiological science in 1960, he joined the Mayo Clinic staff, where he practiced for 10 more years.
In 1971, Dr. Witten accepted the position of professor and chairman of radiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he remained for 11 years. He came to Columbia in 1982 and assumed the position of chairman of radiology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He served in this position until his retirement in 1987. In 1987, he was named professor emeritus of radiology and remained active with the university until 1999.
Dr. Witten was the author of numerous textbooks and publications on radiology, including mammography and uroradiology. He was a fellow of the American College of Radiology and a member of the American Roentgen Ray Society and the Radiological Society of North America.
He pursued a lifelong interest in wildlife preservation and environmental conservation issues. An avid wildlife photographer, he edited the Missouri State Audubon Society publication “The Bluebird” for several years after his professional retirement.
He is survived by his wife, Netta Witten; his sons, Michael of Atlanta, GA and David and his wife, Dana Gabriela of Columbia; and a sister, Marilyn Hoffman of Trenton.
The family suggests donations to Nature Conservancy or the North Central Missouri College Foundaiton.