- William J. Croff was born August 3, 1924, in Flint, Michigan. His great-great grandfather, William Compton of Yorkshire, England, married Betsey Maybee on March 12, 1792. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. Their children were born in the United States and William's family lived in Michigan.
At the age of 12 William was awarded an art scholarship to the Flint Institute of Arts where he studied drawing and painting with Jaroslav Brozik and L. Dirk Van Dyke.
At the age of 15 he won prizes in local and national art competitions. He graduated from Flint Central High School and continued his studies at the Kansas City Art Institute where, after earning a four year diploma in painting, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, studying with Ross Braught and Wallace Rosenbauer. He also studied at the University of Buffalo with water colorist, Charles Burchfield. At the Art Students League of New York, he was a student under Edward Dickinson, Jon Corbino, Morris Kantor and Yasuo Kuniyoshi. His studies continued at Michigan State University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and The National Technical Institute, the School of Painting and Sculpture. The last two schools are located in Mexico City. While he was a student in Mexico he became acquainted with the Mexican Muralists Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros. While there he also spent much time with the Mexican landscape painter, Dr. Atl. Mr. Croff completed graduate work in school administration, supervision, and curriculum development at Kutztown State College, Peterson State College, and received his Master of Education degree in Art Education from Pennsylvania State University at Indiana. Mr. Croff started his teaching career in Flint, Michigan, later moving to Michigan State Boy's Vocational School. Three years later he accepted a teaching position at Hampstead Hill Junior High School, the largest Junior High School in Baltimore. He taught art, civics, geography and history before becoming head of the art department. He also taught at Washington School and Honiss Schools in Dumont. While Art Coordinator at Honiss School he was elected to membership in an international graduate fraternity of men in the field of education. Membership is by invitation only.
A professional artist, he was president of the North Hudson Art League. Members of this non-profit organization raised funds to build an art museum in North Bergen, New Jersey, known as the Titus Museum of Art. He was a member of the Art in Education Association, the Institute for the Study of Art in Education, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Kappa Delta Pi Undergraduate Honor Society in Education and Montclair State College Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa He was the recipient of the Kent State University's Research Center Scholarship in 1972 for the Study of Socialistic Education which was held in the Soviet Union.
During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy as a Petty officer in charge of a gun crew. He saw action in the South Pacific and in the North Atlantic. The ship in which he served took a direct hit while supporting the Battle of the Bulge and he survived a German torpedo boat attack in the English Channel.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Edna Compton Croff; and is survived by one sister, a niece and three nephews as well as many dear friends. No immediate services were held, but a memorial service will be conducted in the spring of 1997 at the Bird Cemetery in Elba, Michigan.
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