On February 2, 2010, Judge Myron Donovan Crocker passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of ninety-four. Judge Crocker joined the federal bench in 1959 and served as a federal judge for more than forty-two years before taking inactive status in 2002. In a 1999 Fresno Bee article, Judge Crocker was described as having a “relaxed style and reputation for fairness” and presiding over most trials “like a kindly grandfather mediating a family dispute.” He was the last surviving judge of the original three judges of our district.

Judge Crocker graduated from Fresno State College in 1937 and then earned his LLB from Boalt Hall in 1940. He began his legal career working on espionage cases as a Special Agent for the FBI and was honored for his meritorious service to the war effort. After that, he served as an Assistant District Attorney from 1946 to 1952, a judge of the Chowchilla Justice Court from 1952 to 1958, and a Superior Court Judge from 1958 to 1959. He also maintained a private practice from 1946 to 1958. In a “Who’s Who in California” questionnaire from 1971, Judge Crocker indicated his involvement in the Sequoia Council Boy Scouts, Valley Children’s Hospital, and Lions Club. He also identified his hobbies as including golf, hunting, fishing, and bridge.

Judge Crocker was predeceased by his wife, Mrs. Elaine Crocker. The two were married in Albany, New York on April 26, 1941 and, at his retirement party in 1999, Mrs. Crocker described her husband as a “partner in life.” Together, they had two children, Glenn Donovan Crocker and Holly Elaine Crocker Longatti.

by Breann Moebius

The Historical Society for United States District Court for the Eastern District of California is a non-profit public corporation formed on February 9, 2001 for the purpose of preserving the history of the court. Information may be obtained by sending email to information@courthistory.org.