Biography/History

Richard (Dick) Krooth was born May 8, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois to Arthur Lewis and Helen Dolly Krooth. He received a B.S. from De Paul University (1958), a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1962), and a Ph.D. from the University of California-Santa Barbara (1980). He also briefly attended Atlanta University (1963-1964). Krooth married Mary Ann Baxandall, a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on August 30, 1963; she changed her name to Ann Baxandall Krooth. They had one child, Karl William, together.

The Krooths have maintained a lifelong interest in issues of social justice and racial equality. After graduating from law school, Dick started volunteering as a constitutional law researcher for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in New York. He was then hired as Community Consultant in the ADL's Southeast Regional branch office in Atlanta.

B'nai B'rith, the Jewish service organization, established the ADL in 1913 with the express purpose of combatting the defamation of Jewish people in print, on stage, and in the movies. Although its purpose has always been, first and foremost, the eradication of anti-Semitism, a second tenet is to help all people achieve legal and social equality. The organization was a visible presence in the civil rights movement. During the short period of time (approximately 1962-1964) that Richard Krooth worked for the ADL, the Atlanta office was caught in the tumultuous whirlwind of desegregation and the increasing fervor of the civil rights movement.

Richard Krooth's position at the ADL was entry-level, and his responsibilities were highly varied, depending on need: working with pre-existing grassroots organizations, helping to organize new groups within the community, legal advocacy for individuals, providing information to the press and the community. The papers that Krooth collected during his tenure with the ADL document the upheaval these communities were experiencing; in particular, they document discrimination, desegregation, civil rights legislation, and major events of the time.

By 1966, the Krooths had moved back to Madison, Wisconsin, where Ann enrolled in University of Wisconsin's Academic Comparative Literature program. She received her M.A. in 1967. It was during this time period that she helped found the Free University of Madison. It started in October 1966 as a collaborative effort by many of the student groups on campus. Although this was a point of contention, the Free University was established as a University of Wisconsin-Madison student group, in order to avoid paying for facilities. Anyone was free to teach any subject they chose; the courses were offered to the public at no charge.

According to the first article of the group's constitution, their purpose was “to provide a broad range of educational experiences with all ideas and subjects, in all fields of intellectual endeavor, open to question and consideration.” Courses ranged widely, from knitting to economics, from suicide to cryptography. The group was concerned with several facets of the traditional university model, such as the student-teacher hierarchy, grades as a basis for student evaluation, and restrictions placed on the content of courses. For most, if not all, of the group's existence, Ann Krooth served as its president. Although Richard Krooth did not seem to be involved with the administration of the Free University, he occasionally taught classes.

The Krooths were also involved with the Wisconsin Alliance, a socialist organization dedicated to fostering collaboration between grass-roots workers, small farmers, and students. Richard Krooth served as its research director from the group's inception in 1968 until 1972.

The Krooths relocated to California, and starting in the late 1970s, Richard taught and researched at numerous universities, including the University of California at the Santa Barbara, Riverside, and Berkeley campuses, the California Institute of Management in Berkeley, San Francisco University, Sonoma State University, Golden Gate University, and the Madison Area Technical College in Wisconsin. He was also the director of various research groups, including the Law and Labor Research Group of Santa Barbara, California and the Americas Research Group. From 1987 he also worked as a jury consultant.

Richard Krooth has published a large number of books and articles on topics ranging from America's imperialism to racial issues in juries. Occasionally he uses the pseudonyms Mark Able and Richard Lowenrosen. Over the years, Ann Krooth has worked as a social worker, photographer, editor, and writer.

Richard Krooth Timeline

May 8, 1935	Born in Chicago, Illinois
1958	Receives B.S. from De Paul University
1962	Receives J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
1962-1964	Member of civil liberties staff in New York City and Atlanta, ADL
August 10, 1963	Marries Ann Baxandall Krooth
1963-1964	Attends Atlanta University
1966-1972	Special Research Assistant in economics and sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
1968-1972	Research Director, Wisconsin Alliance Research Center
1969-1972	Associate in political science and legal institutions, Omega School
1978-1979	Director, Law and Labor Research Group of Santa Barbara, California
1979-1982	Professor, University of California-Santa Barbara and -Riverside
1980	Receives Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California-Santa Barbara
1980-1981	Coordinator, Isla Vista Community Research Group
1980-1982	Academic Director of Diversion Team, Riverside County Criminal Youth Division
1983-1984	Visiting Professor, American socio-economic institutions, judicial systems, and political science, Madison Area Technical College, Madison, Wisconsin
1983-1984	Director, Americas Research Group
1983-	Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association
1983-	Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association
1985-1986	Visiting Scholar, University of California-Berkeley
1985-1989	Professor, Political science and comparative socio-economic development, California Institute of Management, Berkeley, California
1987-1989	Research Associate, California Institute of Management, Berkeley, California
1987-	Jury Consultant, Scientific Legal Services, Inc.
1989, 1993-	Research Associate, University of California-Berkeley
1990	Lecturer in interdisciplinary social sciences, San Francisco University
1991-1992	Lecturer in criminal justice, Sonoma State University
1993-	Adjunct Professor of international studies, Golden Gate University