Snow can symbolize many things: tranquility, peace, innocence, the first sign of another “Pure Michigan” to come. For alumnus George David “Dave” Crocker (MBA, J.D. ′12), snow signaled a sense of fulfillment he remembers to this day.
“One of my final finance exams concluded at night. I remember walking to my car afterwards, not knowing it was supposed to snow. I got to my car in the brutal cold, removed as much snow as I could, and drove home, happy to be done with the required finance classes,” he said. “Sounds trivial, but it was a feeling of accomplishment and feeling alive that I’ll never forget.”
This feeling of accomplishment was warranted, considering Dave was working toward his Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor at the same time. Not only was he the first in his family to receive two graduate-level degrees, but Dave also became one of the first (if not the first) at WMU to earn the dual degree of MBA and J.D.
Professors who made an impact on him during his time here included Dr. Ali Metwali (Professor of Finance), Dr. Jack Ruhl (Professor of Accountancy) and Dr. Jennifer Palthe (Professor Emerita of Management). “They were consummate professionals, and their dedication to the success of their students was humbling,” Dave said.
“My overall experience at Western was transformative, which, of course, I did not appreciate at the time,” he continued. “The leap from an undergraduate program to a graduate program is substantial, with a greater emphasis on becoming a subject matter expert in your area of study. Receiving an education regarding the expansive legal and financial underpinnings of our society was illuminating.”
Being a Bronco played a big role in getting Dave to where he is today, an attorney for U.S. Army Cyber Command.
“My military service has been the most rewarding aspect of my career,” he added. “I joined the Army Reserve after graduating from law school, direct commissioning as a judge advocate. Unlike many examples of military service, my particular story would not have happened without first having graduated from WMU.”
Before his current role, Dave worked for the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General for two years in the Securities Division and as a special prosecutor, and later for the South Carolina Department of Revenue, where he argued before the South Carolina Supreme Court. Some of his other career highlights include working in private practice in Columbia, South Carolina, publishing in the South Carolina Bar Association’s SC Lawyer magazine, deploying as a judge advocate to Kuwait, Qatar and Afghanistan, graduating from the Basic Airborne Course, transferring from the Judge Advocate General’s Corps to Civil Affairs, being prompted to major and becoming company commander of HHC 360th CA BDE.
Dave and his wife are the proud parents of six children. Rain or shine (or even snow), his advice for current Broncos is straightforward and apt: “Keep going, no matter what, and be the best you that you can be.”
Do you have an alumni success story you’d like to share with us? We’d love to hear it! Submit your story idea today at WMUAlumni.org/YourStory.