Milford chronicle., 1957-10-11
Blind Man Quits
His Paper Route
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(contlnued from page One)
now soil conservationists working
for tn U. S. Government in Iowa
and Seoul, Korea, respectively.
Born in Hartford, Conn, &c. G."
was graduated from the University
OF Connecticut in 1912. TIE was an
instructor at Massachusetts Agri-
cultural College (now Massachus-
etts University in Amherst for sew
eral years and came to Delaware
in 1922 to teach at Lord Baltimore
School, Ocean View. He remained
there year then became vice
principal of RehObOth High School
/ From 1924 to 1925 he was principal
of the Dagsboro graded school.
1t was in 1925 that Mr.. Crocker's
eyesight began to fail and he was
forced to give up education as a
profession. His wife, who died Oct
81, 1854, took over his teaching
duties.
Mr.. CrOcker says that physicians
have been unable to determine the
cause of his blindness. He was able
only to tell light from darkness
but could not distinguish objects
of any kind. Treatments at the out
set brought about some improve
ment, but, unfortunately, he was
stricken with typhoid fever in 1927
and lost all he had gained in the
restoration of sight. Since then
there has been no change in the
condition.
In the summer of 1928, Mr..
II
Journal in Millsboro, where he was
then living. His two sons, then in
elementary school, helped him. In
September of that year the family
moved to Frankford and father and
sons began delivery of the Evening
Journal there. In 1884 both boys
left home to go to college and Mr..
CrOcker assumed responsibility of
the entire delivery At that time
the Evening Journal covered a
route of about five miles of house
calls
When the Morning News was in
troduced, Mr.. Crocker recalls that
he delivered to every house for a
trial period of two weeks and end
ed up with two regular customers.
1T was a new paner breaking
into strange territory and rural
people are slow to take on a new
thing" he explains.
However, morning deliveries
gradually increased and he says
that now the Morning News has
twice the circulation of the eve
ming paper among the rural folk
of Frankford, numbering about
500.
Mr.. Crocker made personal de-
liveries of both papers, averaging
more than three miles per day,
using a white cane Up until Jan
j., 1857, when he suffered a slight
stroke, he had missed a total of
but 80 days of delivery for any rea-
son and weather was never
one of them, he points out.
After being stricken last January,
Mr.. Crocker made arrangements
for his grandson, Charles David
Hudson, Is, of near Fenwick ISL
and, to make deliveries This con-
tinued for awhile but the boy, who
attends school in Selbyville, could
no longer keep it up. Since the mid
die of August of this year, Donald
Coffin, IA, has been the News.
Journals FrankfOrd delivery boy.
Mr. Crocker is an insurance ag-
ent as well as a newsstand opera
tor. His hobbies are limited to his
rose garden and listening to the
radio. For a number of years he
has been FrankfOrd correspondent
for three papers, the Delmarva
News, Milford Chronicle and Shore
Times of Berlin, Md He also has
been correspondent for the News
Journal papers.
Although he lives in world of
shadow, Mr. CrOcker has crisp
sense of humor and a keen interest
in world and local events. He OBJ
serves that the carrier boys today
have an easier time of it today than
their predecessors since they all
have bicycles or Pop to follow
them up in a car" He is naturally
proud of his own two sons, Edwin,
now AZ, who works for the state
and federal governments as a soil
expert and farm planner at Storm
River Ia, and David, 40, who was
in British Guiana before going to |
Seoul in July under the auspices
of the United Nations.
Mr.. Crocker also has a daugh- |
ter, Mrs Chester V. Hudson, of |
Fenwick Island, and five grand
children.