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Cal Crook: Biography

Born December 25, 1904 in Zillah, Washington, C. Calvin Crook grew up in central Washington, graduating from Ellensburg High School, then went on to Normal School (later Central Washington College of Education) in Ellensburg. He spent the next four years as an elementary school principal and high school coach, later graduating from the University of Washington with a master’s degree in Education and a minor in Physical Education.

In 1931 he moved to Bellingham, Washington where he helped create and direct the school district’s first audio/visual program. This allowed him to work with state-of-the-art equipment and, most importantly, develop and perfect his own skills in photography—skills which would eventually turn his hobby into a profession. He married and had four children and was later divorced.

During the years Crook developed and fine-tuned these programs—both as the district’s audio visual director and later as an elementary principal—he began using his vacation time to travel in an effort to satisfy his insatiable curiosity about the world’s geography, people, wildlife, cultures and climates. Camping whenever possible, Cal roamed through much of the United States, Mexico, Europe, Canada and Alaska, even visiting Cuba just prior to the Castro Revolution.

In 1948 while traveling through the Columbia River Gorge near Celilo Falls, his daughter, Judy, asked if they could pull over and shoot some pictures of the Native Americans dip-net fishing from wooden platforms. He did, and eleven years later, when Celilo Falls became submerged by the waters of The Dalles Dam, one of those shots became his most significant work and best-selling picture.

After retiring from his first career as an educator, Cal moved to B-Z Corner, an unincorporated town halfway between Trout Lake and Husum, Washington. He went to work for SDS Lumber and stayed with them for 20 years, retiring in 1990. Through the years, Cal’s son, David Crook, and three daughters, Carolyn Downing, Judy Vorfeld, and Jan Pierson, have all interacted with him in various aspects of his photography. In addition to his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Cal has "adopted" many locals, considering them as part of his family as well.

Crook died October 15, 2000, in Hood River, Oregon. His daughter, Jan Pierson, is carrying on his legacy by showing and selling his photography.