Richard Krecker ’55

Dick Krecker died Jan. 12, 2011, in Scottsdale , Ariz.  

He was born Sept. 18, 1933, in East Orange, N.J. He and his twin brother, John ’55, entered Princeton from East Orange High School, following in the footsteps of their father, Preston S. Krecker Jr. ’26; grandfather Preston S. Krecker 1892; and two uncles; and followed by their cousin, Jim Clunan ’60. At Princeton Dick majored in English and joined Campus Club.  

Following graduation he married Susan Gallagher and began work at IBM. In 1969 the family moved west, first to San Francisco and then to Phoenix, where Dick served as senior vice president of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Arizona. In 1983, he was appointed president and CEO of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas City. His board affiliations included the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Midwest Bioethics Center, and the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation.  

Upon retirement in 1997, Dick and Susan moved to Paradise Valley, Ariz. He was a docent at the Desert Botanical Garden for 11 years.

Dick is survived by Susan; their children, Elizabeth, Linda, Richard Jr., and Matthew; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren; his brother; and two sisters.