(1908-1998)
Arthur Kroeger, Emeritus Professor of Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business died May 29, 1998 in Mystic, Connecticut at the age of 89. He joined the Stanford faculty in 1946 and retired in 1974.
Art Kroeger was born in Fullerton, California in 1908, the son of an orange and walnut grower. He was an active student leader in high school, the top student and valedictorian in his class. He enrolled in Stanford University where he majored in liberal arts and social sciences, earning an undergraduate degree in 1931 and Phi Beta Kappa distinction. He then earned an MBA degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1933.
Although he had ambitions to go directly into academe, then Business School Dean J. Hugh Jackson advised him to obtain business experience before starting to teach about business. Following this advice, Professor Kroeger worked for Mannings restaurant chain, opening and managing several outlets in the Bay Area.
He taught briefly at Modesto Junior College, and in 1940 he accepted a position as Assistant Professor at the University of Idaho, leaving that position in 1943 to serve as Lt. Cdr. in the U.S. Naval Supply Corps for the duration of World War II.
Professor Kroeger joined the Stanford Business School faculty in 1946. He became one of the core group of faculty who helped the school grow in response to the large number of veterans who came to business school after the war.
Professor Kroeger taught courses in marketing and advertising. A faculty colleague (one of the authors of this resolution) who took his courses recalls that they were "wildly popular" and well received. He was an active developer of course materials. In 1960 he co-authored (with Charles Dirksen) a textbook Advertising Principles and Problems. This was a popular and widely used book, and subsequently went through five revised editions over the next 23 years. He also co-edited a book Readings in Marketing (1968), and co-authored the books Modern Business Management (1958) and Cases in Marketing (1971).
During AY 1957-58, Professor Kroeger took leave to serve as a consultant with the European Productivity Agency in Paris, aiding in the formation of the European Common Market.
In 1963 the Stanford GSB helped found ESAN, a Graduate School of Business in Lima, Peru. Professor Kroeger was one of several Stanford faculty members who taught at ESAN in order to get the program established. He also taught in Stanford executive programs in New Zealand.
Professor Kroeger was also active in service to the school and the university. He served for a time as MBA admissions director. Colleagues recall that he was always willing to take on unpopular jobs. He was chairman of the Bookstore Building Committee for construction of the present Stanford Bookstore and, in this capacity he is reported to have actually ridden on the bulldozer that razed the old bookstore building. He also served for a time as President of the Faculty Club.
In 1966 he co-authored a book on the history of the first 50 years of the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business. He was a member of the American Academy of Advertising and the American Marketing Association.
After his retirement from Stanford, Professor Kroeger taught part-time at the University of Santa Clara for several years. He served as a consultant and advisor to business firms, especially Sunset Magazine, for which he conducted and published a number of market studies.
Professor Kroeger met his future wife Julia when he was working for the Mannings restaurants she was a dietician for Mannings. She preceded him in death. They had one child, Mary Katherine Porter of Mystic, Connecticut, and two grandchildren, Philip and Sarah. He is also survived by a brother, William Kroeger, and a sister, Marguerite Spitzer. Another brother, Edward, is deceased.
In addition to his reputation as a scholar, Professor Kroeger is described by all who knew him as a warm and friendly human being a gentle man. He was a devoted husband and father. He was an avid Stanford sports fan. He never missed a home football game, and often took his daughter to games, including track and field events. He always wore a red necktie. He raised orchids, and liked to play bridge.
A memorial service was held on June 3, 1998 at Convent of the Sacred Heart in Menlo Park.
COMMITTEE:
Charles P. Bonini, chair
Charles T. Horngren
James T. S.
Porterfield