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Community activist, bridge-builder
Twenty years ago, longtime Claremont resident Alan T. Kroner wrote a letter to fellow Claremonter Pat Merckle, expressing some of his core beliefs. In the 1988 letter, Mr. Kroner wrote:
"I believe that your put upon earth and your destiny is a small but important part of the overall scope of things, that is to say, everyone is somehow connected into a larger purpose."
Mr. Kroner, a "very searching person," said his wife, ultimately found great purpose in serving his community as a volunteer, an activist and a bridge-builder. Entrenched in the work of numerous committees and groups, Mr. Kroner worked diligently to create a sense of community in Claremont and beyond.
"This searching, which was very much a part of him, ultimately led him to choose a life of service," said his wife, Jamie Class. "His mission was to get people to pull together and have tolerance and respect for each other. Everything he was about was to bring people together."
Mr. Kroner, a resident of Claremont since childhood, died unexpectedly on February 15, 2008 at the age of 49.
He was born in Long Beach on March 31, 1958, the oldest child of James and Marlane Kroner (nee Steffanos). Of Greek descent, he carried his heritage proudly, right alongside a joy of cooking inherited from his mother’s side of the family.
As a child, he moved to Pennsylvania with his family and, after a short period, they returned to California and settled in Claremont where Mr. Kroner attended Our Lady of the Assumption School, joined Boy Scout Troop #104 and graduated from Claremont High School.
Ever curious and driven to explore, Mr. Kroner audited university courses in a variety of subjects at several different institutions. That search for knowledge and understanding also fueled a powerful wanderlust. He backpacked throughout the US and hiked through South America before returning to Claremont and settling into what was to become a life of social and political service.
An early position with the grounds department at The Claremont Colleges gave rise to a lifelong love of gardening and ultimately led Mr. Kroner to run his own landscaping company for a time.
Still seeking a greater purpose, he began to realize it more vividly when he served as an inspector of Polling Place 1300003A and opened his residence to election voting. Rather than placing the polling booths in the more traditional location of the home’s garage, Mr. Kroner set them smack in the middle of his living room. And, rather than standing nearby, stolid and serious, he toiled in the nearby kitchen to feed all who came. Baffled at first, voters ultimately responded with delight at the sense of community and neighborliness established there, explained his wife. Turnout, she said, increased with each subsequent election until reaching a respectable 68 percent. As Mr. Kroner put it, "If I thought it would make a difference, I’d dance on the damn table!" recalled Ms. Class.
Described by Ms. Class as a deep thinking and kind man, Mr. Kroner strongly believed that each person deserved an opportunity or platform to use their voice in order to have their concerns heard and met if possible.
"He envisioned a world where people from all walks of life, with different beliefs and perspectives and histories could live in mutual respect and harmony," his wife wrote in a remembrance.
It was natural, then, for Mr. Kroner to serve as one of the founding members of Claremont’s Committee on Human Relations (CoHR), and to serve on the committee once again when the city mandated change and a restructuring of the group in the wake of the controversial Landrum incident.
Mr. Kroner also served as Claremont’s liaison to our 5-city local "cluster" in the Human Relations Mutual Assistance Consortium (HRMAC), which includes nearby Pomona and Azusa. In addition, he led Claremont’s Hate Crime Response Team; assisted with Claremont High School’s participation in the Building Bridges camp program of the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ); supported the annual "Making Change" essay and art contest; and volunteered with the LA County Human Relations Commission, which awarded him LA County’s Volunteer of the Year Award for 2001.
It was through this work that Mr. Kroner met his wife of 3-and-a-half years, Jamie Class, who joined CoHR in spring 2003. In 2004, the couple married intentionally on Juneteenth, which is also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day and commemorates the abolition of slavery. They incorporated a variety of multicultural traditions into their backyard ceremony including jumping the broom, which symbolizes the creation of a new household. In his typical style, Mr. Kroner threw himself "heart and soul", said his wife, into his new family, including helping his bride care for her ailing mother, Peggy.
As is the case with many people, Mr. Kroner was a multi-faceted person, which, in one particular way, entertained Ms. Class.
"I know what amused me about him. Alan was, frankly, a completely confusing mix of complete hippie and upright pillar of the community," she said. "There truly was always that tension within him. He was a good ol’ boy with his foibles and that sort of thing, and yet would have lived his life in a business suit if he could. I could not get that man in blue jeans to save my life."
Mr. Kroner’s wife, whom he affectionately called "Kitten," takes comfort in the knowledge that, as an organ donor, her husband’s skin will help burn victims and his bone will aid in reconstructive surgery, offering healing and new life for others. His corneas were also donated, and Ms. Class smiles fondly at the idea that a "glimmer of her husband’s cynical but good natured humor will still twinkle somewhere on this earth."
"I’m very comforted by the idea that someone will have his blue eyes. When he was teasing—and he loved to tease and pull your leg—they would absolutely sparkle," she said. "He gave his whole life, and I felt very much that he should also give in death."
In addition to his wife, Mr. Kroner is survived by his stepdaughters, Laila and Jackie; his mother, Marlane; his brothers Dan and Dave; his sister and brother-in-law, Michelle and Ray; his nephews, Taylor, Adam, Anthony and DJ; and his nieces, Jessica, Tawny and Kortney. His father, James, predeceased him.
A memorial service will take place at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 1, 2008 at Todd Memorial Chapel, Claremont. A reception will follow at approximately 12:30 p.m. at Taylor Hall, 1775 N. Indian Hill Blvd., Claremont.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Claremont’s Committee on Human Relations or a similar organization of your choice.
