Daniel C. Krummes

Daniel C. Krummes Dan Krummes, 62, died October 18, 2012, in Oakland, California, after a long illness. Dan was born in 1949 in Vallejo, California, the son of Claude Edward and Claire Valli Krummes. He was thrilled to attend the University of California at Berkeley as a freshman in 1968, where he formed friendships that lasted a lifetime. Research for his senior thesis in anthropology took him to the Hebrides, where he formed an enduring love for Scotland. Upon graduation in 1972 Dan joined the Peace Corps, teaching English for two years in Senegal, West Africa. He went on to Ohio State for a Masters in anthropology before returning to Berkeley and shifting to library work, a natural focus for him since he remained a lifelong avid reader of fiction. In 1976 he landed a job at Berkeley's Institute of Transportation Studies Library. It was a match made in heaven, combining Dan's love of books and libraries with his love of ships that reached back into childhood, when he wished his family could sail on the Queen Mary to Europe rather than backpacking in the Sierra Mountains. Completing another Masters, in Library Science, Dan discovered his special love for cataloging, and made his name as the foremost cataloger of transportation materials in the world, although he was too modest to say so. In 2000 Dan became Director of the Library, creating a fun environment that revealed his exceptional talents as a manager, and led to the University's honoring him in 2005 with the Distinguished Librarian Award, the highest accolade given to librarians at Berkeley. Retiring in 2006, Dan opened himself completely to his lifelong love for dogs, expanding his volunteer work to virtually full-time to help find homes for abandoned animals. Placing these dogs in loving "forever families" gratified him deeply. In 1976 Dan met Douglas Brookes, his life partner of the next 36 years. In 1978 he began spending summers at the family cottage on Lake Huron, where his fascination with ships soon expanded to include Great Lakes vessels. In 1997 he published Dining on Inland Seas, the standard reference compendium of chinaware used aboard Great Lakes freighters and passenger vessels. His other wide-ranging interests included opera (Wagner and Puccini special favorites), Broadway (Mary Martin and Barbara Cook topping the long list), old movies (Alice Faye and Betty Grable always a hit), television shows of the 1950s and 60s, fiction (nary a sea story he hadn't read), the New Yorker, and photography, especially of Great Lakes freighters. Dan is survived by his partner Douglas and their dogs Maisie, Charlotte, and Cosmo. In honor of his deep love for Port Huron and Lake Huron he will be interred in Lakeside Cemetery. Donations in his memory may be made to Hopalong Animal Rescue, PO Box 27507, Oakland, CA 94602, or Blue Water Area Humane Society, 6266 Lapeer Rd., Clyde, MI 48049.