From the Wimberley View, Wednesday, January 28, 1998
Former Cabinet member and SWT President dies Saturday at age 74
by Linda Allen, View Staff

A prominent figure in Wimberley died Saturday, January 24, when Jim McCrocklin ended his battle with kidney disease.

Born James H. McCrocklin, Boerne, Texas on May 3, 1923, McCrocklin had lived in Wimberley since 1964, when he was President of Southwest Texas State University. Chairman of the Board and principal broker for Jim McCrocklin & Associates, Inc., with offices in Wimberley and Dripping Springs, Texas, he brought to his business a long history of involvement in politics and education.

McCrocklin attended elementary school in Boerne, high school in Austin and college at the University of Texas at Austin, where is received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D.

He married Harriett Elizabeth Stroud in 1946, and they had two sons, James Thomas and John Henry, both real estate brokers. John is executive officer and a director for Jim McCrocklin & Associates, Inc. Active in the military, McCrocklin served in the U.S. Marine Corps reserve and saw active duty in World War II and the Korean Emergency. he retired from the service as a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps reserve and served as a member of the National U.S. Marine Reserve Policy Board in 1955 and 1956.

McCrocklin was a member of numerous professional and civic groups, including Pi Sigma Alpha (honorary government society) and Phi Kappa Pi (honorary scholarship society.)

From 1958 to 1964, he served three terms as mayor of Kingsville and was state president of the Texas Association of College Teachers from 1960-61, a period when he was also state president of the Texas Municipal League. he was professor and chairman of the Department of Government at Texas A&I University in Kingsville from 1947-1964.

In 1962, McCrocklin was a seminar moderator for the National War College. During this period he was listed in the Who's Who in the South and Southwest.

In 1964-69, he served as President of Southwest Texas State University, and as Undersecretary for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare from 1968-69, during Johnson's presidency.

Of Johnson, who was a personal friend, McCrocklin said, "He was a real gentlemen to work for. He expected you to work 28 hours a day, but he did too. Mrs. Johnson was on of the most perfect ladies you'll ever meet."

From 1966-69, he was appointed by the Governor of Texas to the Committee of Public School Education and served as a consultant to the national Teacher Corps in 1968.

His political involvement included acting as a United States delegate to UNESCO with the rank of Ambassador, Paris, France for the 15th Assembly.

During Johnson's term in office, he was appointed to membership on the National Advisory Committee on the Selective Service, a 20 member committee, from 1966-67,; the President Task Force on Career Advancement, a 10 member committee, 1966-67; The Adhoc Steering Committee on International Education, 1967; the President's Special Committee: Committee on Overseas Voluntary Activities, with Secretary of State Dean Rusk as Chairman, an 18 member committee, 1967; the National Review Board - - Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West, a 15 member committee, 1968.

In 1977, he was designated a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary international for Contribution to International Education and in 1985, he was elected to the Board of Directors of Biomedical Research Company, Inc.

McCrocklin was widely published in the field of public affairs, government, and education.

He became Chairman of the Board of Jim McCrocklin and Associates, Inc. in 1980 to the present and served as Chairman of the Board of the Dripping Springs National Bank in 1985.

His real estate sales operation, where sales are made on a state, national, and international basis, includes two offices. Highly regarded as an authority on Central Texas real estate, McCrocklin was often called on as a consultant and was a regular lecturer for the Texas Association of REALTORS® Graduate REALTORS® Institute, as well as the Boards of REALTORS® in Austin, Lubbock, Dallas, Abilene, El Paso and Houston.

He was a member of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, the San Marcos Area Board of REALTORS®, Texas Association of REALTORS®, and the National Association of REALTORS®.

An active member of the Wimberley community, McCrocklin was involved in many civic projects, including the Crisis Bread Basket, the Chamber of Commerce, and many non-profit efforts. He was known in recent years for his outspoken views against incorporation. While he acknowledged the growth of the area that held only 700 people when he moved here in 1964, he was afraid that incorporation would not address the problems presented by growth and would only spawn more taxes.