Krok 60th Anniversary DVD Available!
If you’re a Krok, a Krok alum, or an Honorary Krok, you should have received a 60th Anniversary DVD in 2007. If you would like to purchase extra DVDs, please send a request to Steve Dostart ’86 at dvd@kroks.com for ordering instructions.
Kroks of the 1970s
Click photos to enlarge. 
Kroks of 1970: Thomas E. Frank (Gen. Mgr.), Frederick J. Murphy, Bruce D. Merritt, Arnold P Servais, Brian Wallace (Director), Charles F. Wilson (Asst. Mgr.), Glen. S. Howard (Asst. Director), Lynn B. Weigel (Tour Mgr.), Don Gleason, Jeffrey A. Nims, C. Rusty Tunnard, W. Thomas Workman, Steven T. Glass.
Kroks of 1971: Back Row: Bruce D. Merritt, Brian Wallace, David G. Johansen, William F. Kuntz II, Leonard D. Easter, Frederick J. Murphy, Jeffrey A Nims. Front Row: W. Thomas Workman, Glen S. Howard (director), C. Rusty Tunnard (Tour Mgr.), Charles F. Wilson (Gen. Mgr.). Missing: Douglass L. Warren.
Kroks of 1972: Back row (statue): Douglass L. Warren, Richard C. Simpson Jr. Middle Row: John Hansen, Jack A. Arnold, David G. Johansen, Ken Hansen, David Gregg, W. Thomas Workman. Front row: Frederick F. Reichheld, Leonard D. Easter, Raymond Nied. Missing: William F. Kuntz II.
Kroks of 1973: Back Row: Bruce (Max) Comins, David Gregg, Peter Rogers. Middle Row: John Hansen, Raymond Nied, Richard C. Simpson Jr., Douglas Heite, Jack A. Arnold (Gen. Mgr.), Fred Dodd. Front Row: Frederick F. Reichheld, Leonard D. Easter (Director), Clifton Lewis.
Kroks of 1975: Standing: Douglas Heite, Peter Lerangis, Mark W. Jordan, Sherrod E. Skinner III, David D. Evans, Paul Mathias, Thomas Lansdale. Sitting: James Volling (Gen. Mgr.), Clifton Lewis (Director), Michael Messerschmidt (Asst. Director), Fred Dodd, George H. Colt.
Kroks of 1976: Peter Mansfield (Director), Fred Dodd, Mike Dinneen, Jim Volling (Gen. Mgr.), Paul Mathias (Gen. Mgr.), Peter Lerangis, Tom Lansdale, Peter Rogers, George Colt, Rod Skinner (asst. director). Missing: Andy Snyder, Bill Shebar.
Kroks of 1977: Kroks of 1977: Standing: Paris K. C. Barclay, Stuart R. Patterson, Donald A. Martocchio, Timothy M. Cranston, Thomas F. Baldridge (Gen. Mgr.), Mark W. Grayson, David N. Snyder, Stanley J. Wlodkowski. Sitting: Kenneth S. Williams, Richard L. Powell, Mark P. Howard, Peter Lerangis (Director). Missing: Douglas S. Morgan.
Kroks of 1970: Thomas E. Frank (Gen. Mgr.), Frederick J. Murphy, Bruce D. Merritt, Arnold P Servais, Brian Wallace (Director), Charles F. Wilson (Asst. Mgr.), Glen. S. Howard (Asst. Director), Lynn B. Weigel (Tour Mgr.), Don Gleason, Jeffrey A. Nims, C. Rusty Tunnard, W. Thomas Workman, Steven T. Glass.Kroks of 1971: Back Row: Bruce D. Merritt, Brian Wallace, David G. Johansen, William F. Kuntz II, Leonard D. Easter, Frederick J. Murphy, Jeffrey A Nims. Front Row: W. Thomas Workman, Glen S. Howard (director), C. Rusty Tunnard (Tour Mgr.), Charles F. Wilson (Gen. Mgr.). Missing: Douglass L. Warren.Kroks of 1972: Back row (statue): Douglass L. Warren, Richard C. Simpson Jr. Middle Row: John Hansen, Jack A. Arnold, David G. Johansen, Ken Hansen, David Gregg, W. Thomas Workman. Front row: Frederick F. Reichheld, Leonard D. Easter, Raymond Nied. Missing: William F. Kuntz II.Kroks of 1973: Back Row: Bruce (Max) Comins, David Gregg, Peter Rogers. Middle Row: John Hansen, Raymond Nied, Richard C. Simpson Jr., Douglas Heite, Jack A. Arnold (Gen. Mgr.), Fred Dodd. Front Row: Frederick F. Reichheld, Leonard D. Easter (Director), Clifton Lewis.
Kroks of 1974: Upper section (top to bottom): Rod Skinner, Jim Volling, David Gregg; middle row (standing, l to r): Doug Heite, Rick Simpson, Mark Jordan, Eric Johnson; bottom row: Mike Messerschmidt, Jack Arnold (business manager), Fred Reichheld (musical director), George Colt, David Evans. Missing: Ray Nied
Kroks of 1975: Standing: Douglas Heite, Peter Lerangis, Mark W. Jordan, Sherrod E. Skinner III, David D. Evans, Paul Mathias, Thomas Lansdale. Sitting: James Volling (Gen. Mgr.), Clifton Lewis (Director), Michael Messerschmidt (Asst. Director), Fred Dodd, George H. Colt.Kroks of 1976: Peter Mansfield (Director), Fred Dodd, Mike Dinneen, Jim Volling (Gen. Mgr.), Paul Mathias (Gen. Mgr.), Peter Lerangis, Tom Lansdale, Peter Rogers, George Colt, Rod Skinner (asst. director). Missing: Andy Snyder, Bill Shebar.Kroks of 1977: Kroks of 1977: Standing: Paris K. C. Barclay, Stuart R. Patterson, Donald A. Martocchio, Timothy M. Cranston, Thomas F. Baldridge (Gen. Mgr.), Mark W. Grayson, David N. Snyder, Stanley J. Wlodkowski. Sitting: Kenneth S. Williams, Richard L. Powell, Mark P. Howard, Peter Lerangis (Director). Missing: Douglas S. Morgan.
Kroks of 1978: Alan L. Gifford, David N. Synder, Mark W. Grayson (hidden), Kenneth S. Williams, Marc Johnson, Richard L. Powell, Paul H. Douglas, Roger Platt, Stanley J. Wlodkowski, James L. Cott, Stuart R. Patterson, Paris K. C. Barclay. Missing: Ray Bertolino.
Kroks of 1979: James L. Cott, Christian N. Peterson, Howard M. Cohen, Stanley J. Wlodkowski (Gen. Mgr.), Richard L. Powell, Alexander L. Aldrich (Asst. Mgr.), Allen L. Gifford, Alan M. Wachman, Paul H. Douglas, Roger Platt, Mark W. Grayson (Asst. Dir.), Stuart R. Patterson (Director).
Maestro Profundo
Peter Mansfield ’76, in addition to holding the record for most arrangements written for the Kroks, and most personal nicknames, is one of the Boston area’s most prolific musicians. He teaches in the Musical Theater and Piano departments of the Boston Conservatory of Music, and in his spare time has arranged and conducted for the Boston Pops, the National Dance Institute, and the symphony orchestras of Hartford, Milwaukee, Vancouver, and New Hampshire. Among many honors, his name appears as Music Supervisor on every Hasty Pudding show poster hanging in the hallway to the NYC Harvard Club men’s room. (For more, visit Peter's website.)
Ah, Paris ...
Former Krok Musical Director Paris Barclay ’79 is an Emmy-winning television director and producer, having directed episodes of “The West Wing,” “NYPD Blue,” “ER,” “House M.D.,” and “Lost,” among others. He has also served as co-executive producer for the programs “Cold Case” and “City of Angels.” Paris has even appeared in front of the camera on episodes of “Will and Grace” and “Dirt.” On February 4, 2007, Paris was honored by the Director’s Guild of America with the prestigious Robert B. Aldrich Service Award, which recognizes “extraordinary service to the Director’s Guild of America and its Membership.”
The Next Harry Potter?
As reported here in a recent New York Times feature, Scholastic Inc. hopes to replicate the wild success of its Harry Potter series with an upcoming series of children’s books called The 39 Clues, written by a “Dream Team” of popular children’s book writers, including Peter Lerangis ’77. Peter has had a long career corrupting young minds — er, writing books for middle-grade and young-adult readers, which have sold more than 2.7 million copies. Recent works include the historical novel Smiler’s Bones, named one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books for the Teen Age in 2006, the Spy X mystery series, and the Drama Club series. He lives in NYC with his wife, singer/songwriter Tina deVaron, and their sons Nick and Joe.
Hollywood Howard
Howard Cohen ’81 and his partner, Eric D’Arbeloff, are the founders of Roadside Attractions, a company that acquires and distributes independent films. Some of their properties include Super Size Me and Amazing Grace. Howard and Eric were recently profiled in the Hollywood Reporter’s annual list of the most influential people in independent film (read the article here).
Behind the scenes in Tinsel Town
Stan Wlodkowski ’79 is one of Hollywood’s busiest producers of thoughtful mainstream films, counting among his many projects Longtime Companion, Ethan Frome, Winchell, American Beauty, One-Hour Photo, The Singing Detective, Seraphim Falls, In the Valley of Elah, and the upcoming Push. He also served as co-executive producer on the TV series “Rome.”
But is he a loyal Krok?
Former Krok Music Director Fred Reichheld ’74, dubbed “The godfather of customer loyalty” by eBay President John Donahoe, is a genial, soft-spoken man known for provoking near-riots at his book readings. His revolutionary idea? That loyalty to customers (and within a company) is the truest predictor of long-term profits. In his latest book, The Ultimate Question, which was recently ranked #1 on the Wall Street Journal’s Business Best-Sellers List and #1 on USA TODAY’s Money Best-Sellers List, he sets out a method to implement and measure this “loyalty effect.” Read more about Fred here. Oh, and the answer to the question above — a resounding YES! For the past four summers, he has hosted Kroks of the ’70s in an annual reunion and songfest on Cape Cod.
Krokus Ex Machina — Kroks from Scratch
The Kroks, unlike certain senior spree-seeking gentleman songsters we know, assemble their members from all academic classes, thus immunizing themselves from ever having to create a group from scratch — well, almost always. Twice in the group’s history, the Kroks suffered an attrition of 11 members, leaving one hapless, heroic Krok to perform magic. The first time was the Krok group of 1976-77, whose one holdover was musical director Peter Lerangis ’77. The next time was three years later — 1979-80 with Alex Aldrich ’80 at the helm. Clearly neither has fully recovered.
From the Kroks to the Supremes
Greg Craig ’67 isn’t the only Washington insider with the Kroks on his resume. George Hicks ’99-’00 is one of two — yes, two — Kroks who have been law clerks for Supreme Court Chief Justices. Currently George is clerking for Chief Justice John Roberts ’76. Roberts’s Harvard classmate, Krok über-first-tenor Jim Volling ’76, clerked for Warren Burger back in ’80–’81.
A House, Sans Blue Lights
The Big House, an elegant and ambitious book that combines family history, social history, and memoir, received a National Book Award nomination for George Howe Colt ’76 in 2003. It received many rapturous reviews, including these two in The New York Times and the New Yorker magazine. Part of its success is due, no doubt, to the presence of several Kroks sprinkled throughout the text. Read more about the book and order it here.
On the Fiske List
Self-proclaimed "Harvard Admissions mistake" Rod Skinner ’76 is on the very short list of editorial advisors to the popular Fiske Guide to Colleges, a bible for all high school students in their research into attending colleges. Rod is the head of college placement at Milton Academy.
