in memoriam
Spring 2025
CMC Tributes
John “Jack” Croul ’49
CMC Honorary Trustee
John “Jack” Croul ’49, a Claremont McKenna College Honorary Trustee, decorated war hero, and member of the original CMC Pacesetters, died on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, at age 100.
Croul joined the U.S. Army Air Corps at 18 and served in World War II from 1943 to 1945. As the lead navigator in the 96th Bomb Group, 338th Squadron, he flew a total of 33 missions, including two on D-Day. His bravery and skill earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, an Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and a Purple Heart. He retired as Captain in 1945.
After the war, Croul pursued higher education, attending Stanford University and transferring to Claremont Men’s College, where he graduated as a Pacesetter—the College’s original, earliest class of students.
He studied business, and eventually built a successful paint company, Behr Process Corp. The company, founded in 1947 by his late first wife’s family, merged into the Michigan-based Masco Corporation in 1999. Croul was the first employee of the company, which was one of the earliest suppliers of paints, stains, and varnishes to Home Depot, and he remained with Behr until retiring as president 51 years later. At the time of the Masco merger, Behr was one of the largest private companies in Orange Country with more than 1,000 employees.
Upon celebrating his 100th birthday last June, Croul also had the distinction of being CMC’s oldest active alumnus.
“Jack is a product of the DNA of CMC, but CMC is also a product of his contribution to the school’s gene pool,” said Claremont McKenna Trustee E. David Hetz ’80 P’10. “From the moment I met him, he struck me as an absolute exemplar of what we aspire to produce at CMC. An honorable and humble man who is extraordinarily principled, hardworking, and yet at the same time, an absolute delight to be around.”
At CMC, Croul was a generous advocate of increasing student financial aid, establishing the Janet Croul Memorial Scholarship to honor the memory of his late spouse and contributing to the establishment of the Russell S. Penniman, III Memorial Scholarship for his classmate from the Class of 1951. Croul also has supported the College by endowing three professorships: the John V. Croul Professorship of European History, the Kingsley Croul Professorship of American History, and the Otho M. Behr Professorship of the History of Ideas.
“Jack and I shared a fondness for things European. He loved European history, European cars, European wines, and European art, not to mention travel to Europe. He spent time in Paris with his wife, Kingsley, every spring and I was often able to meet them there, among other shared travel experiences I remember fondly,” said Jonathan Petropoulos, the John V. Croul Professor of European History at CMC.
Croul’s passion for flying fueled his lifelong hobbies, as he piloted gliders, Cessnas, and Piper Super Cubs, even obtaining a helicopter license at age 77. Additionally, he was an avid collector, amassing a treasure trove of WWII American fighter planes, and vintage cars from the 1950s.
Croul also kept a personal diary of his experiences in World War II, which led to his self-published book, Teen-Age Lead Navigator. It provided a vivid picture of his time in the European theater out of Snetterton Heath Airfield, England.
“Jack liked to go fast—whether it be in planes, helicopters, cars, or boats. And in his later years, he loved sailing on his beautiful teak boat, the Palawan,” Petropoulos said. “Jack found things in his life that gave him joy, and after experiencing what he did in World War II, he appreciated them.”
In 2011, CMC named Croul as an Honorary Trustee in recognition of his distinguished service to the College. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree in 2017 at CMC’s Commencement ceremony.
Croul, whose motto was “Just do the right thing and think of other people,” was actively involved in philanthropic and civic organizations, including the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum and the Laguna Art Museum. Through the Croul Family Foundation, he assisted organizations focused on the homeless and economically disadvantaged in Orange County.
“Jack was an American hero, a CMC hero, a personal hero to all of us who knew him. Courageous in action, brilliant in vision, generous in spirit, and loads of fun,” observed President Hiram Chodosh. “We will miss and honor him always.”
Joseph T. Casey P’81 P’85 P’88 P’95 GP’20
Life Trustee
Life Trustee, Joseph T. Casey P’81 P’85 P’88 P’95 GP’20, died on Jan. 8, 2025 at age 93.
Demonstrating his strong commitment to CMC and higher education, Casey joined the Board of Trustees in 1989, serving with distinction under three Board Chairs and two Presidents, and chairing the College’s Investment Committee from 1992-2003. Casey was a regular trustee until 2004, when he became a life trustee.
“Joe Casey was a good friend and highly effective Trustee of CMC,” said Jack Stark ’57 GP’11, who served as president of the College from 1970 until 1999. “He chaired the College’s Investment Committee with great success. Joe also advanced the College from an admissions perspective, as he was the parent of four CMC graduates and a granddaughter who graduated in 2020.”
A retired executive vice president and director of Litton Industries, Inc., Casey earlier in his career served as chief financial officer, consultant, and vice chair of Western Atlas Inc., and continued his association as a director of Western Atlas. In addition, he served on the board of directors at a number of corporations including Promos Inc., Baker Hughes Inc., Advanced BioPhotonics, Inc. (formerly OmniCorder Technologies), Pressure Systems Inc., Western Airlines, and Mclean Industries.
Casey also served as a member of the Board of Overseers of the Center for Russia and Asia of the RAND Center for Russia and Eurasia, and was a former trustee of Don Bosco Technical Institute in Rosemead, Calif. Casey earned a B.S. from Fordham University and was a Certified Public Accountant.
Casey is survived by his wife, Dolores, and their eight children, four of whom attended CMC—Thomas K. Casey ’95, John J. Casey ’88, Elizabeth Casey Burgess ’85 P’20 (married to Jim Burgess ’84 P’20), and Kevin J. Casey ’81—and granddaughter Clare Burgess ’20.