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Benchmarks: Celebration for Joe Crotts

Joe Crotts has been inducted into the Emeritus and Retired Faculty Hall of Honor at California State University, Chico. Joe began at Chico in 1974 and joined WAML in 1975 and became a life member several years later. He retired in 2018 with 44 years’ service.

Joe’s first publication in the IB was Index to Defense Mapping Agency—Army Map Service Maps in 1977. This was followed by the Geologic Map Index to United States Geological Survey 7.5’ & 15’ Quadrangles of California 1883 – 1980 and 1981 and 1982 Supplements. 

His next IB publication was Developing an Historical Cartographic Database for Accessing Local History in 1994. This was followed by Subject Usage and Funding of Library Monographs in College & Research Libraries in 1999. 

For several years Joe was the editor of the IB’s New Mapping of Western North America.

In 1985 he co-founded the Northern California Geographic Society and served as chair for several years.

He is proud to lay claim to two long term WAML-Lites, Greg Armento and the late Rich Soares as student assistants in the CSU Chico library.

Joe served on CSU Chico’s Academic Senate from 1991 through his retirement in 2018 and was the recipient of the senate’s first Outstanding Senator award.  He served as chair of the senate in 2010-2011. Together with senate service, he served as secretary of the senate and the University Budget Committee from 1995 through 2018.

Following retirement Joe transitioned to the university’s Gateway Science Museum and has served as vice president of the museum’s Board’s beginning in 2018.