Don Kurth
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Donald J. Kurth, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 26, 1949 |
| Occupation | Former mayor of City of Rancho Cucamonga, California |
Donald J. Kurth, Jr. (April 26, 1949 - October 4, 2023) was a physician, businessowner, educator, and former mayor of the City of Rancho Cucamonga, California (2006–2011). He was elected President of the Rancho Cucamonga Chamber of Commerce in 1994, Director of the Cucamonga County Water District in 1996, appointed to the Rancho Cucamonga City Council in 2002, and elected[1][2] mayor of Rancho Cucamonga on November 7, 2006.
Donald James Kurth, Jr. was born in Newport, Rhode Island where his father, also named Donald James Kurth, was stationed in the United States Navy. Kurth's father and mother, Isabelle, both served in the hospital corps in the Navy throughout World War II. His mother taught Navy carrier pilots how to use oxygen masks for high altitude missions. His father served on the heavy cruiser, the USS New Orleans, in battles including Pearl Harbor, Coral Sea, Midway, Eastern Solomons and Tassafaronga. During the night Battle of Tassafaronga in November 1942, the New Orleans engaged the “Tokyo Express” troop convoy which was supplying troops and supplies to block the United States Marine invasion of Gaudalcanal.
During the battle, the New Orleans was hit and cut nearly in half by an enemy submarine torpedo, losing her bow and two hundred seamen. The ship travelled backwards to port in Sydney, Australia and was later repaired and returned to action. Following the war, Kurth's father was stationed first in Newport Rhode Island and subsequently transferred to the Brooklyn Naval Yard when Kurth was less than a year old and the family bought a home in northern New Jersey, where Kurth was raised.
Education
Kurth graduated from Westwood High School in 1967. He later completed his undergraduate studies at Columbia University (BA), graduating cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1975 before attending medical school at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, from which he graduated in 1979 (MD). Following a fellowship in orthopedic surgery at Oxford University,[citation needed] he returned to the United States to complete his medical education. After completing his internship at Johns Hopkins University, he trained at the UCLA Hospital Medical Center and later became Board Certified first in Emergency Medicine and then in Addiction Medicine.
Dr. Kurth subsequently received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Loma Linda University School of Public Health and his Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.