Thomas Crook died at the Cottage Hospital, Purley, Surrey, on January 6th, 1937, at the age of 60.
He was born at Burnley, where he received his early education, and in 1898 he obtained a Royal Exhibition at the Royal College of Science, Dublin. After obtaining his Associateship of the College in 1901, he was appointed assistant to Grenville Cole, the Professor of Geology and Mineralogy.
In 1905 he joined the staff of the Imperial Institute, London, where for the next fourteen years he was engaged in examining mineral specimens collected by the officers of the mineral surveys of Nigeria, Ceylon, Nyasaland, Gold Coast, Kenya, and Gwalior. In 1918 he was awarded the Murchison Fund by the Geological Society for his work in improving the technique of separating and examining mineral grains, and for his publications. In 1919 he was appointed chief officer of the intelligence and publications section of the Imperial Mineral Resources Bureau, which had just been formed, and was responsible for the series of publications on the mineral industry of the British Empire and foreign countries issued by that body. When the Bureau was amalgamated with the mineral section of the Imperial Institute in 1926, Mr. Crook was appointed Vice-Principal of the new department. In 1928 he was promoted to Principal, a position which he retained until his death.
He was awarded the O.B.E. in 1936, and an honorary degree of the National University of Ireland. Among his published works are two books — Economic Mineralogy, published in 1921, and A History of the Theory of Ore Deposits, published in 1933.
Mr. Crook was elected a Member of the Institution in 1920.
Vol. 47, Trans I.M.M. 1937-8, p. 540
