Saratoga Springs, NY - Denton Winslow Crocker died peacefully Sunday, February 19, 2012, after a long and courageous battle with prostate cancer. A noted zoologist and Professor Emeritus of Skidmore College, he was a resident of Saratoga Springs for 50 years.
Denton lived for 21 years in Swampscott, Mass. A 1942 graduate of Northeastern University, he was immediately drafted into the Army. He joined the 31st Malaria Survey Detachment in New Orleans and as a Sergeant Technician, served with that unit for two years in New Guinea, the Dutch Indies, Philippines, Okinawa and Japan. Upon returning home, he married Jean-Marie Jensen February 23, 1946, and they started their married life in Ithaca, NY, where he began graduate study at Cornell University. He later wrote of his wartime experiences, including wartime correspondence, memories and excerpts from the diary of one of his unit members. Copies are on deposit in the Army Military History Institute in Carlisle, Penn., and the Veterans History Project, Library of Congress.
After teaching at Amherst and Colby Colleges, Denton moved to Skidmore College in 1960 where he chaired the Biology Department for 17 years and taught till his retirement in 1983. At Skidmore, in addition to serving on major committees, he was fortunate to head the Biology Department at a time of dramatic change. The move to a new campus enabled him to oversee the transition of his department into the modern age. In 1968, he was honored by the faculty by his selection as Faculty Research Lecturer.
He was a strong proponent of the symbiotic relationship between teaching and research, and following the publication of his doctoral dissertation, “The Crayfishes of New York” (NY State Museum, 1957), he continued to pursue his studies each summer on the distribution and natural history of crayfish. Other publications include “Handbook of the Crayfish of Ontario,” written with David Barr (Univ. of Toronto Press, 1968), and “The Crayfishes of New England” (Biological Society of Washington DC, 1978). Research colleagues honored him by naming a crayfish species (Distocambarus crockeri) and a crayfish subgenus (Crockerinus) for him.
His paper, “Malaria Survey and Malaria Control Detachments in the South West Pacific Area in World War II” was published in the Papua New Guinea Medical Journal, Vol. 52, No 1-2, March-June 2009. In recent years he found great pleasure in writing poetry and had poems published in Avocet, Blueline and The Aroostook Review.
In Saratoga Springs, Denton was a member of Bethesda Episcopal Church where he served on the vestry for several terms and was a former member of the board of the Home of the Good Shepherd. With his wife he organized, in conjunction with St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, an ecumenical volunteer group, FISH, which for five years provided transportation, shopping and other services needed locally.
A lover of music all his life, Denton played recorder and was a devoted supporter of SPAC and the Saratoga Chamber Players. He drew great strength from the natural world and spent countless hours backpacking, sailing, and camping - both alone and with his family. His article on light-weight backpacking, “Fireless Foods,” appeared in Wilderness Camping’s ’77 Wilderness Adventure.
In addition to his wife of 66 years, Jean-Marie, he is survived by his children, Carol H. Crocker, Randy Crocker and Michael Whitton, and Candace J. Warren (George); grandchildren, Sgt. Daniel C. Warren (Bianca), Jacob A. Warren and Tessa M. Berryman; great-grandson, Carter Girasa; and cousin, Janet Crocker Enzler. He was predeceased by his sister, June Crocker, and his son, Denton W. Crocker Jr., killed in Vietnam in 1966.
Denton took great delight in his children and grandchildren, their character and achievements. He thought of them as his greatest accomplishment, a team effort with his wife, whom he adored above all else.
The family expresses heartfelt gratitude to his oncologist, Dr. David M. Mastrianni, for his wisdom and devoted care, and to the staff of Hospice of Saratoga for their unfailing attention and compassion, as well as to the home health aides who eased their way.
A service of Holy Communion took place Thursday, February 23, 2012. Burial services will be at Greenridge Cemetery in Saratoga Springs at the convenience of the family.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to the The Nature Conservancy, Attn. Treasury, 4245 N. Fairfax M St. NW, Washington, DC 20036 or to Community Hospice of Saratoga, 179 Lawrence St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
Arrangements are under the direction of the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Homes, 628 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs (518) 584-5373.
Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com.
