[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 22 (Monday, February 22, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S614-S615]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                   REMEMBERING MYRON DONOVAN CROCKER

  Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I ask my colleagues to join me 
in honoring the memory of Judge Myron Donovan ``M.D.'' Crocker. Judge 
Crocker passed away on February 2 at his home in Chowchilla. He was 94 
years old.
  M.D. Crocker was born in Pasadena on September 4, 1915. In 1918, his 
family moved to Caruthers in Fresno County and then to the city of 
Fresno in 1921. After graduating from Fresno High School, he earned a 
degree in political science from Fresno State College. In 1940, he 
graduated from Boalt Hall Law School at University of California, 
Berkeley, and passed the California bar.
  Instead of beginning his career in the legal field, Judge Crocker 
joined the FBI serving in Albany, NY, where he specialized in 
deciphering codes during World War II. After a stint in the FBI's Los 
Angeles office, he returned to the San Joaquin Valley in 1946 where he 
served as assistant district attorney in Madera County. In 1953, he was 
elected to the Justice Court in Chowchilla. Five years later, he was 
appointed by Governor Goodwin Knight as a Madera County Superior Court 
judge.
  When he was appointed by President Dwight Eisenhower to the Federal 
court bench, Judge Crocker, at 44 years old, became the youngest 
Federal judge in the United State at the time. For 8 years, he commuted 
to his job in Los Angeles. In 1961, he became the first Fresno based 
Federal judge with the creation of the Eastern District of California. 
For the next 12 years, Judge Crocker heard all the cases in the 
southern section of the Eastern District until a second Federal judge 
was authorized in Fresno.
  Judge Crocker would serve under 10 U.S. Presidents during a 
remarkable career on the Federal bench. Despite earning senior status 
in 1980, he continued to work and hear cases until he retired in 2002 
at the age of 87.
  A man of keen intellect, Judge Crocker was also acknowledged by those 
who knew him for his gregarious nature and gentlemanly ways. He was 
admired by his colleagues for his sharp memory. A giving person, he 
lent his time and talents to a number of community causes, including 
Lions Club and coaching Little League baseball. In his spare time, he 
enjoyed golfing, tending to his garden and playing bridge with his 
friends. He will be missed.
  Judge Crocker was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 68 years, 
Elaine. He is survived by his son, Glenn; daughter and son-in-law, 
Holly and Robert Longatti; grandchildren, Donovan, Justin, Todd and 
Adam; great-

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grandchildren, Luke, Noveli, Brandon and Tyler; and sister, Janice 
Ahlf.

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