Crooks, Kenneth Bronstorph M., 1905-1959
Dates
- Existence: 1905 - 1959
Biographical Note
Jamaican by birth, Kenneth Bronstorph M. Crooks (1905-1959) was educated in Jamaica and in the United States. He taught biology and zoology at Hampton Institute, Fort Valley College, and Grambling College, and served as the headmaster of Happy Grove Secondary School in Jamaica.
Kenneth Bronstorph M. Crooks was born to Japheth Answa and Jeannette Munro Crooks on May 5, 1905, and grew up in Hanover, Jamaica. After graduation from Jamaica College in Kingston, he went to Harvard University, from which he received A.B., A.M. and Ph.D. degrees. He was an All-American soccer center forward while at Harvard. He began his teaching career as instructor of biology at Hampton Institute in 1929. From a professorship at Hampton he returned to Jamaica in 1941, under an appointment from the American Friends Board of Missions. He served in Jamaica as headmaster of Happy Grove Secondary School until 1953, when he returned to the United States to become chairman of the department of zoology at Fort Valley College in Georgia. In 1957, he went to Louisiana's Grambling College as professor of biology, a position he held at the time of his death.
Crooks was preeminently a scholar and educator. His published writings, numbering about fifty items, reflect not only an interest in pure science and basic research, but also concern for the development and improvement of the teaching-learning process. He was also a devout Quaker. He married Nella Octiva Edgar in 1929. They became the parents of four children: Cynthia (b. 1929 June 1), Kenneth (b. 1931 September 12), Sylvia Amelia (b. 1933 November 19), and Nella Evadone (b. 1936 December 5). He passed away on January 20, 1959.
Citation:
Author: Christopher HarterCitation:
Kenneth Bronstorph M. Crooks papers; Amistad Reports (September 1983)Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Kenneth Bronstorph M. Crooks papers
The papers of the Jamaican-born educator Kenneth Bronstorph M. Crooks include correspondence, photographs, writings, diaries, and various collected items. Materials reflect Crooks' upbringing in Jamaica, his work as headmaster of Happy Grove School, his efforts to gain financial assistance for Jamaicans to study in the United States, and his other work as an educator in the U.S., as well as his scientific research.