Robert T. Crotty, a writer, professor, and college Dean, passed away on Saturday, August 13, 2011 at the age of 73 in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Burial will be held at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Medford, Massachusetts on Saturday August 20, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the UNH Foundation Office at 9 Edgewood Road, Durham, NH 03824. Please put “In Memory of Robert Crotty” in the memo line. Immediately after the burial, a small memorial celebration will be held, where he asked that friends "express outrageous stories about me that I will not be able to refute".
Crotty was born August 21, 1937 in Arlington, Massachusetts to William J. Crotty and Rita (Connaughton) Crotty. He grew up in Somerville, Massachusetts, graduated from Somerville High School in 1954, and then went to the University of New Hampshire on a football scholarship.
College was interrupted by two years of service in the Army from 1955 to 1957, as a radio operator in Alaska. After his honorable discharge, Crotty returned to UNH to complete his studies in English, graduating with the class of 1961.
He married Mary Jane Burbank on May 5, 1961 at Perkins Cove in Ogunquit, Maine.
Crotty loved the theater, winning prizes for oration in high school, and performing at the Keene Summer Theatre and the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Later he continued his involvement in the arts by volunteering at The Music Hall in Portsmouth.
At the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, he earned an M.F.A. in English from the University of Iowa. He then took his family to Ireland for a year to work on his first novel in the tradition of famous Irish authors.
Professor Crotty taught writing in the English department of Wisconsin State University at Superior, receiving tenure. He started the creative writing program at Roger Williams College in Rhode Island, bringing many famous guest lecturers to campus including Tom Wolfe. Crotty co-edited the book: “Workshop: A Spontaneous Approach to Literature” published in 1971.
He settled with his family in Kennebunkport, Maine. Starting as Professor of Creative Writing at Saint Francis College in Biddeford Pool, Maine (now the University of New England), he became Chairman of the English Department, and then Dean and Acting Vice President of the Humanities College.
Leaving the academic world, he took charge of media relations for the Maine Civil Liberties Union, worked with the Maine Conservation Corps, and served as President Jimmy Carter's press secretary for the State of Maine.
He enjoyed antique cars, such as his ’39 Chevy, was continuously writing short stories and screenplays, had encyclopedic knowledge about the Boston Red Sox, and loved to "hold court" at his favorite coffee shop in Market Square, Portsmouth.
Crotty was pre-deceased by his former wife Mary Jane Burbank Crotty, and survived by his 3 sons: Sean of Palo Alto, California, Liam of Miami Beach, Florida and Brendan of Bethany Beach, Delaware, and 2 grandsons Keagan and Torin. He was also pre-deceased by his brother Frank, and survived by brothers Bill, Ed, Walter, and sister Mary Fleming.
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