Richard R. Crocker

Crocker, Richard R. Newspaper journalist, passed away June 4. He was born June 6, 1938 in Wichita. Crocker received his bachelor of science in journalism from the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas in 1960. He did post graduate work in historic preservation at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He launched his career at The Salina Journal where he served as a reporter, weekly columnist, editor of a pre-date edition and Sunday editor. In 1963, he joined The Wichita Eagle as a reporter but soon shifted to the copy desk. He was Sunday editor, city editor and then assistant managing editor before leaving The Eagle. In 1972, he joined The Washington Post, just a few months before Watergate. He served as an assistant news editor, deputy news editor, news editor and assistant managing editor/news before retiring after nearly 25 years. When Martin Umansky, then vice president and general manager of KAKE TV, decided to publish a free weekly newspaper in Wichita in 1974, he recruited Crocker as a consultant to take a four-month leave of absence from his job at The Post to produce The Wichita Sun. Crocker set up an office, hired the editorial and production staff, designed the publication, and supervised the first month of production to launch the publication with a circulation of 107,000. As a journalist, he was highly encouraging of younger writers and photographers who showed promise. He was a charter member of the Kansas Professional Chapter of Sigma Delta Chi, Society of Professional Journalists, serving in various leadership positions including as president from 1970-71. He was a voracious reader throughout his life. His interests ranged from art, architecture and history and historic preservation to music and theater. He enjoyed traveling. Family trips were regularly centered around historical and art exhibits and events, as well as Broadway musical theater. He was preceded in death by his parents, Cecil and Hazel Crocker, and a brother, Darrell. He is survived by his wife, Elvira, and a son, Christopher, both of Wichita. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations in his memory be made to the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main St., Wichita, 67202, or to the Wichita Art Museum, 1400 W. Museum Blvd., Wichita, 67203. Services pending.