Alja Robinson Crook (June 17, 1864 – May 31, 1930) was an American scientist and academic from Ohio. Crook attended

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

and received a

Dr. phil. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in Munich, Germany in 1892. He was a professor of mineralogy and

economic geology Economic geology is concerned with earth materials that can be used for economic and/or industrial purposes. These materials include precious and base metals, nonmetallic minerals and construction-grade stone. Economic geology is a subdisciplin ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

from 1893 to 1906, when he was named Illinois State Geologist. As state geologist, he greatly expanded the state museum.

Biography

Alja Robinson Crook was born in

Circleville, Ohio Circleville is a city in and the county seat of Pickaway County, Ohio, United States, set along the Scioto River, 25 miles (40 km) south of Columbus. The population was 13,927 at the 2020 census. The city is best-known today as the host of t ...

, on June 17, 1864. His father Isaac was a Methodist minister. Crook attended

, graduating in 1887. He studied abroad in the following years, attaining a

Dr. Phil. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's List of universities in Germany, sixth-oldest u ...

, in 1892. He returned to Illinois and taught at Wheaton College for a year. Crook then accepted a position at

as a professor of mineralogy and economic geology. Crook taught at Northwestern until September 15, 1906, when he was named Illinois State Geologist by

Charles S. Deneen Charles Samuel Deneen (May 4, 1863 – February 5, 1940) was an American lawyer and History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican politician who served as the List of Governors of Illinois, 23rd Governor of Illinois, from 1905 to 1 ...

. This made him curator of the

Illinois State Museum The Illinois State Museum features the life, land, people and art of the State of Illinois. The headquarters museum is located on Spring and Edwards Streets, one block southwest of the Illinois State Capitol, in Springfield. There are three satell ...

, which at the time was no more than a room in the state arsenal building. Crook greatly expanded the museum, moving it to the Centrannial Building on the

Illinois State Fairgrounds The Illinois State Fairgrounds is located in Springfield, Illinois. It hosts the annual Illinois State Fair in the summer as well as other events throughout the year. The fairgrounds encompasses 366 acres of land and was added as a historic distric ...

. Crook wrote ''The Guide to Mineral Collection'', which was a popular text in colleges in museums. From 1914 to 1915, he was the president of the Illinois Academy of Science. He remained in this position until his death. Crook married Florence Wayne Purdum; they had five children. An active Methodist, he was the vice president of the Illinois Sunday School association and was president of the Illinois conference of the Methodist Episcopal Layman's association. He was also a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

and a member of

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

. A. R. Crook died on May 31, 1930, in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

. He was buried there in Roselawn Memorial Park, though a marker for him is instead found in

Oak Ridge Cemetery Oak Ridge Cemetery is an American cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. The Lincoln Tomb, where Abraham Lincoln, his wife and all but one of their children lie, is here, as are the graves of other prominent Illinois figures. Thus, it is the second-m ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crook, A. R. 1864 births 1930 deaths American geologists Directors of museums in the United States People from Springfield, Illinois People from Circleville, Ohio Northwestern University faculty Wheaton College (Illinois) faculty Ohio Wesleyan University alumni