Obituary of James Albert Crocker

December 10, 2023

James Albert Crocker died unexpectedly from cardiopulmonary disease on December 10, 2023 at his Manhattan, New York home. He was 76 years old.
He had been the Director of Housing Activities at the Mid Bronx Senior Citizens Council located on the Grand Concourse since its inception about thirty-five years ago. He headed the housing development, construction and building operations component of this community based not for profit organization. More than fifteen hundred rental housing units were developed as well as other facilities such as community centers, commercial spaces, childcare, garden and grounds restoration took place under his supervision and planning.
Jim began building his career on a foundation of public service when he joined the Peace Corps. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in physics, he took an assignment, teaching math and physics at the O’Riley School at Accra, Ghana.
Throughout his early years Jim excelled at science, winning awards for his high school science fair projects. While attending the University of Wisconsin, he spent two summers at the Kennedy Space Center as an engineering assistant with NASA assigned to unmanned launch operations and later, the Apollo Manned Space Program Saturn 5 rocket launches.
In addition to his aptitude for science, Jim from an early age was skilled at drawing and design. So, it is no surprise his abilities and interest in physical science and visual art were the tools Jim used to build a career in architecture. Upon returning to the U.S. from Ghana he enrolled at Syracuse University and graduated cum laude with a degree in architecture.
With that training in hand, Jim returned to Accra where is was welcomed again by the Peace Corps and served as chief architect for the City of Accra Engineer’s Department for a couple of years. He continued in Ghana for another five years as an architectural consultant for the Ghana Government, the World Bank and the Canadian International Development Agency. During those years he developed designs, construction methods and logistic strategies that would maximize the use of local materials and technical expertise. His tenure with the CIDA was centered at Bolgatanga, Ghana and focused on establishing and maintaining a regional water supply system for rural villages.
Born on December 18, 1946 in Washington, DC, Jim’s childhood was on the move. The family relocated to Simi Valley, CA, then Oak Ridge, TN, then Cincinnati, OH, then Idaho Falls, ID and then Fayetteville, NY where he graduated from high school. The periodic moves became new departure points for family camping and hiking trips that included National Parks throughout the country. Jim, at ten years old travelled the rustic Alcan Highway on an extensive family road trip across Canada and into Alaska that culminated with a flight on a DC-3 to Point Barrow, the northernmost spot in the U.S. He eventually travelled to all fifty states and many nations. He was active in Boy Scouts and achieved the Eagle rank.
Jim was not one to miss an opportunity for adventure. In 1984 after finishing his work in Ghana he outfitted his Yamaha XT 500 motorcycle and rode solo across the Sahara Desert. The five-month ride terminated at the Netherlands where he embarked for New York City.
Prior to dedicating his career to the Mid Bronx, Jim was a project manager for about three years with various Manhattan architectural firms. Projects included apartment and residence renovations, adaptive reuse of commercial buildings and construction oversight.
While contributing to family genealogical research, Jim became intrigued with the seventeenth century land records of a community in southeastern Connecticut that his ancestral family occupied. He researched local the methodology and records used by the surveyors over the centuries, then integrated modern GIS technology with aerial and satellite imagery to create historic maps of the ancient community. The data was useful to the archeologists researching the site as well as clarifying the modern property ownership agreements.
In recent years, Jim collaborated with his siblings to restore the family farmhouse in Central New York. Without his architectural and historical insight the project would not have occurred.
Jim was very creative and expressive with his wide-ranging knowledge and ideas; sometimes amazing, sometimes hilarious and always original.
He was predeceased by his parents, Albert Rudolph Crocker and Gertrude Jewell Crocker. Surviving siblings are Jewell Ann Huxen of Madison, MS, Jonathan Alan Crocker of Houston, TX, Jane Alice Achee of Morgantown, WV, nieces, nephews and his dear friend Charisse Gulosino. Burial will be at the Yantic Cemetery, Norwich, CT.