Steve, Dad, Gramps...
a Petite Biography
Steven Brookes Craig
December 29, 1936 - November 5, 2021
Steven Brookes Craig, loving husband, father, grandfather, friend, mentor, and former Chairman of the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, CA died November 5, 2021 after 85 cycles around the Sun.
Steve, as he was called by most, was born at Children’s Hospital in San Francisco, California on December 29th, 1936 to Dr. Leela Stevens Craig and Dr. Roderick Craig, grew up in Berkeley, California, and ultimately lived most of his adult life in El Cerrito, California.
It’s fair to say that being a part of the “silent generation”, growing up during post-depression and through World War II, in a family of professional academics, as well as in Berkeley, and then joining the military, all shaped who Steve became as an adult. Growing up did not include fond memories of school. However it did include making lifelong friends with neighbors and school mates. His exploration outside of academics included bike riding through the hills of Berkeley, taking street cars through the town, and discovering model trains in the late 1940’s. His father, friends of the family, and local friends were early tinkerers, always looking at different ways to solve problems in order to fix something, or make it work. This led to a lifelong passion to solve construction and mechanical challenges without professional expertise.
Family property his parents purchased in 1936 after they were married became Steve’s second home starting at birth. The 80-acre property, known as “The Ranch” in Northern California, started out quite rustic. Over time, Steve’s handiwork and passion for tinkering and fixing things helped, together with friends and family, build a pool, porches, install watering systems and water tanks, and constant upkeep and care taking the property. Summers and Thanksgiving were yearly events at the Ranch, and family and friends were always welcomed. It has a history all of its own!
His first paying job was as a machinist apprentice at 18, and a smattering of jobs followed, including attempts at college. He attributes his guidance in life from his favorite Great “Aunt Mary”, his grandmother's youngest sister who lived with the Craig family for many years. While his family did not like war and the military, he joined the Army in 1955 at his Aunt’s suggestion, and spent the next 3 years in Fort Ord, CA, Georgia and Panama in the Signal Corp. He referred to his experience as “good luck”. As a volunteer Regular Army enlistee he did not join the infantry, served 3 years rather than 2 years of active duty, and was ultimately discharged with a 5-year obligation for Inactive Duty. The Inactive Reserves were never called up throughout the entire Vietnam War.
Steve’s mother kept most if not all of his letters written home while he was in the Army, allowing him to recall many details of his military life in Panama from 1956-1959. An avid storyteller with a great memory, he always told stories of the people he met, his army buddies, of course the cars, his mentors, and of meeting Juel, his eventual wife. He always celebrated Veterans Day and Memorial Day but never wanted to take advantage of all of the things the Service had to offer as he never “served” in a War, as he often said.
In 1958 he met the love of his life, Juel Ng while in the service in Panama. His experience with her family meant engaging with a different culture. While her family was Chinese, she went to a Catholic school where classes were taught in English and the Spanish language was an elective. In other words, communication was not an issue. Religion and ethnicity back in 1958 were of concern in both families. His discharge in 1959 meant a long distance relationship through letter writing and recorded tapes. Her month-long visit in the summer of 1959 cemented their dedication that led to marriage on October 1, 1960. Their mixed-race marriage was a first in both families but the care both families had for Steve and Juel emphasized acceptance. The only barrier now was the Asian Exclusion Act of 1882. A marriage in Panama meant Juel would have to live many years in Panama to wait for immigration papers. A marriage in the US meant deportation back to Panama. But marriage on a Visitor’s Visa to the US meant they could be married and claim innocence to the law.
Steve and Juel spent their first years of marriage traveling around the United States, living in a small apartment with Steve working, and Juel meeting and helping the neighboring “housewives'' as they were once referred to. It was always important to Steve to support Juel with trips to Panama to be with her family and ultimately where they traveled together for years up through 2018 for what was ultimately Steve’s last trip. Their annual anniversaries always included trips around California where they explored antique shops & jewelers, ate wonderful meals, and discovered a little history. While their 60th wedding Anniversary was during the first year of COVID, they enjoyed a private meal at their home supplied by their children. Their 61st, and last, was celebrated in style, with a wonderful catered meal and music by their grandson Julian with close family in attendance.
A dedicated professional, Steve led a 43-year career at the California Academy of Sciences (the Academy) and Morrison Planetarium (the Planetarium) in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. He was both a passionate technician and administrator at the Morrison Planetarium having started his career in 1960 repairing audio equipment for the Planetarium. He claimed his Healds College, 2-year Electronics Engineer degree, and machinist apprentice work paid off!
It’s safe to say the Academy/Planetarium was his third home. Aside from the work, he met amazing scientists, talented administrators, acquired life-long friends, and introduced his family to life in a museum. Nostalgic memories reignite all senses - the smells of taxidermy, formaldehyde filled bottles of specimens, freshly cut wood in the machine shop; the sights of stuffed mammals and drawers of insect specimens, the foucault pendulum knocking down a pin; the sounds of paper folder machines, or lathes creating curly cews of metal strips; and lastly, the calming music and voices for a restful, and sometimes, sleepy hour in the Planetarium.
Steve’s life at the Academy started as a technician in the Planetarium, and ended as Chairman of the Planetarium, and included a lot of operational and administrative management in between. For an in depth history of his work and career at the Academy, we are sharing a transcribed Academy Oral History from an interview with Adrian Ashton Barnett in 2000: “Steven Brookes Craig: Things are Always Lookin’, Forty Years Under the Stars”. You’ll hear about people he worked with and visitors from around the world, the history of the museum, and it’s connection to World War II, the history of the Instrument Shop, Lunch Bunch, and Planetarium, the creation of the famous “Star Projector”, the introduction of Laserium and the Dean Lectures, the evolution of the Planetarium with education and shows for school children, as well as the introduction of concerts. Steve also discusses his style of management as the “walk-around manager”, the value of interacting with staff, knowing what they were working on, and making suggestions. He also believed in working cross departmentally and with the Board of Trustees. Thank you Bing Quock and staff
Steve’s life story would not be complete without mention of his passion for cars, collecting, repairing, restoring, and of course driving them. An avid car collector, Steve recalled his first possible interest in cars starting at 3 years of age. At the age of 13, a family visit to Michigan and the Ford assembly plant instilled a fascination from then on as to how cars were made. By the time he was 15 ½, he convinced his parents it was time to buy his first car, not to drive, but to work on. His first car of many was a 1930 Ford Model A Sport Coupe he rebuilt into a hot rod. His pride and joy was restoring his 1932 Ford, purchased in 1953 and fully restored in 2021. He celebrated the debut of his ‘32 with his car enthusiast friends and family in June of 2021. He knew every car his family members owned, and for years he would send his brother Sandy home in the summers with the perfect used car. He created both a photo album and history of all of the cars in his life.
Giving of his time and helping others was second nature. He started when his children were young as a volunteer with the elementary school PTA and as a parent chaperone on school field trips. Later in life he served many years on the Board of Directors for a family business, Challenge Machinery Company in Michigan, as well as a dedicated volunteer and Treasurer for 20 years at Chaparral House, a skilled nursing home co-founded by his Mother in Berkeley, Ca. He also enjoyed taking care of property in Trinity, California for the California Academy of Sciences, as well as mentoring his younger staff who worked for him over the years. As a grandfather, he even helped modify a watering system at Balboa High School in San Francisco!
In thanks for his service, he received 6 Awards, including the 2018 National Not-for-Profit Trustee award by the American Health Care Society for his long standing service to Chaparral House in Berkeley, the Distinguished Service Award from the Fellows of the California Academy of Sciences in 1991, and Over and Above Longevity Award from the Board of Directors, Chaparral House, 2021.
Family meant the world to Steve. Building his own family and cherishing and honoring the presence of marrying Juel with the intent of being a mother at home, something he didn’t experience, was important. He supported raising additional Ng family members throughout his marriage - primarily giving them the opportunity to get schooling in the United States. He stayed in touch with family members near and far, whether by phone, email, or early holiday letters. Summers were spent with his brother Sandy and his family at the Ranch. Taking Juel and their children on a West Coast trip in 1976 included family and friend visits and exploration of dams, lakes, glaciers, and more. Steve also had a keen sense of family history. While he read volumes and kept volumes of family artifacts, letters, and photos, he also was able to remember names and stories from deep in the past. He also appreciated and supported the history of his wife Juel’s Chinese heritage, a little more complicated and less written, but filled with stories and tradition important to the culture.
His grandchildren, Julian (25), Sidney (10) and Leela (7) meant the world to him. He and Juel enjoyed time with their grandchildren whether it was care taking, taking them to museums and other cultural events, traveling around California or Panama, visiting the railway museum, or celebrating at various family gatherings. He was always proud of Julian “the musician”, attending almost every concert and many local gigs. Julian (and friend) playing at Steve & Juel’s 61st anniversary was a special treat. He enjoyed watching the intellect and curiosity of Sidney and Leela, and the family names they were each given.
If you knew Steve, you knew some if not all of his passions: bourbon, chocolate, peanuts, Jeopardy, celebrating his birthday, Thanksgiving at the Ranch with family and dear friends, puzzles, tinkering, repairing anything broken, repairing old clocks, family celebrations, museums, reading mysteries and biographies, and preserving & writing family history. And yup, there were the “Steve-isms” - phrases he carried from his past! If you needed a package opened, or string cut…you were guaranteed Steve had his pocket knife. A favorite story took place at an Oakland A’s game sometime before COVID where he went to a game and the people at the gate had to have him leave behind his favorite pocket knife. The check point person was a young kid and could tell how meaningful the knife was to Dad and suggested he put it under one of the garbage cans and it would be there…well, after the game, the garbage cans were not in their same place. But sure enough, we found the knife after looking under each can. Dad was so touched he sent a note to the staff at the stadium.
Steve is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Juel, his daughter, Joycelin, son-in-law Conrad, and grandson Julian, San Francisco; son, Roderick, former daughter-in-law Linda, and children Sidney and Leela, El Cerrito, California; brother Alexander Craig and his wife Susan, Toledo, Ohio; niece Deborah Pilliod, husband Chris Pilliod, and sons Jackon, Ross, and Henry; nephew Eric Craig, wife Marianne Fisher, and son Rowan Craig; cousins Allan Breese, Edgar Martin, and Dorna Bullpitt and their respective families, and the family of his deceased cousin Jim Breese. He is also survived by his extended Ng family in Panama, all who were a big part of his life including those who were welcomed into his & Juel’s family life over the last 57 years, namely Augusto Ng, Marcial Lau, David Ng, Jennifer Ng, and Joseph Ng.