Richard E. Crockford grew up on his family’s sprawling farm in Coral Gables, Florida, where he developed his lifelong love of the water and sailing.
Dick Crockford, 80, died September 28, 2007 at home in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts after a brief battle with cancer. He spent most of his life near the water, splitting his childhood between Miami and Sebago Lake, Maine, and later sailing on Little Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire and on Buzzards Bay off Massachusetts.
Dick taught literature at Colby Junior College, now Colby-Sawyer College, in New London, NH and at Boston University. Dick served as Dean of Studies and Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty at Colby Junior College before becoming the tenth president of Dean Junior College, presently Dean College, in Franklin, MA from 1972 until retiring in 1991.
Mr. Crockford served on a sub chaser in the Navy during World War II, lying about his age to enter the service before the war ended. Having been the valedictorian of Ponce De Leon High School, he followed his naval service by graduating from Bowdoin College and received a Master’s degree in Literature from Boston University.
Married in 1955, Dick and the former Claire Coddaire raised four children. He is survived by Richard Jr. and his wife, Laura; Jeremy and his wife, Natalie; Elizabeth, and Lisa. He married a second time, raising two children, Seth and Kate, with the former Julie Ahlman. He also leaves six grandchildren: Alexandra, Conor, Zachary, Emma, Sam and Claire, all of whom he enjoyed tremendously.
Dick spent his retirement years teaching English as a second language and working on his Spanish skills via correspondence with a friend he met while traveling in Spain. He also worked on his poetry and writing, and maintained strong friendships from his years in academia. He fondly recalled his friends and colleagues, especially in New London and at Dean. Dick also enjoyed the companionship of many large dogs, the larger the better, and he grew evermore fond of cats throughout his life.
A memorial service will be held at Dean College in Franklin, MA on Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. in the Campus Center, Multipurpose Room, 135 Emmons Street, Franklin, MA with a reception to follow. Donations in his memory may be made to the Community Nurse and Hospice Care, P.O. Box 751, Fairhaven, MA 02719, or to The Richard E. Crockford Scholarship Fund, care of Dean College, Office of Institutional Advancement, 99 Main Street, Franklin, MA 02038. For online guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
The following is a press release from Colby-Sawyer College
Richard E. Crockford
Former Faculty, Vice President and Dean of Faculty
Richard E. “Dick” Crockford, a member of the Colby-Sawyer faculty from 1955 to 1972, died on Friday, Sept. 28, 2007, after a brief illness. He served as the college’s dean of studies from 1968 through 1970 and as vice president and dean of faculty from 1970 through 1972. He is the father of Elizabeth C. Crockford, Colby-Sawyer’s academic dean and associate professor of Business Administration.
Dean Richard Crockford was born in 1927 in Miami, Fla., and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He later attended Bowdoin College, where he earned an A.B. in government in 1950, and Boston University, where he earned an M.A. in English in 1955. He went on to teach and serve in the administration of several schools, ranging from elementary to junior colleges and Boston University.
Dean Crockford joined the faculty of Colby Junior College in 1955, where he taught English for 13 years before becoming dean of studies and later academic vice president and dean of faculty.
Professor Emerita Hilary Cleveland, who has taught at the college since 1955, came to know Dean Crockford and his family well. “He certainly was one of the most dynamic English teachers at the college,” she said. “He always challenged his students’ views and tried to get them to see other points of view.” His style, while sometimes confrontational, “was always meant to get at the truth and open people’s eyes,” Professor Cleveland said. He and his first wife, Claire, and their children were fully engaged and respected members of the community, she recalled.
Former Dean and Provost Wally Ewing, who succeeded Dean Crockford in 1972, recalled him as the “quintessential New England dean. He filled the role admirably. He had the look, the manner and the temperament of a dean,” Dean Ewing said. “I knew I would have big shoes to fill.”
Dean Crockford left the college in 1972 to become the tenth president of Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts, where he served until his retirement in 1991. During his tenure there, the college developed new transfer and career-oriented associate degree programs were and opened several new facilities opened. These included the Children’s Center, a laboratory pre-school, the Academic Computer Center, a college radio station, and the Telecommunications Center. Enrollment in the Division of Continuing Education grew to more than 1,200 part-time students.
He received a Distinguished Service award from Dean College on Friday, Oct. 27, 2006. In announcing Dean Crockford’s death to the Dean College community, President Paula Rooney, Ed.D., the current president, said his influence on the college had been broad and far-reaching, and that his legacy at Dean continued to touch students, staff and the community daily. “Richard Crockford served for nearly two decades, initiating substantial changes in our philosophy, mission and services,” she said.
Dean Crockford also served as an evaluator for the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and consulted for the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. He was appointed to the board of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He wrote at least two novels, including The Spillers’ Indian Summer and The Thing Itself.