John Crain was a man who loved his family, his work, his community. He considered education to be very important, and Palo Verde College was a special part of his life. Even though he has passed from this physical life, his spirit will be with us always.

John Olen Crain was born in Tuckerman, Arkansas, on March 6, 1938, to Virgil and Grace Crain.
John and his older brother, Pete, spent the early years of their lives on a farm in Arkansas. At the beginning of World War Two, the family moved to Richmond, California, where Virgil Crain went to work for a shipbuilding company. They stayed in Richmond until the end of the war, then moved to Blythe for a short period. The family then returned to Arkansas for several years before moving permanently to Blythe in January 1952.
John and Pete attended Blythe Junior High and Palo Verde High School, graduating from both. Those were not easy, carefree days for the brothers. While they were going school, both worked hard to help support the family. Pete worked at the ice plant and helped make car payments. John worked in the locker plant and paid the utilities. Pete joined the Marine Corps after graduating from high school. When John graduated, he enrolled at Palo Verde College and continued to work.
John graduated from Palo Verde College in 1958. He then enrolled at Arkansas State University, where he graduated in 1960 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in political science. Earning his degree was not easy for John. To pay his way, he ironed clothes, managed a small band, typed papers and even hired himself out as a designated driver long before that became a popular term.
After graduation John entered the management program at JC Penney Company in Yuma, Arizona. His tenure with Penney was short-lived, however, for he was drafted into the US Army on July 19, 1961. During the next two years he was assigned to the adjutant general’s office at Fort Ord, California. He served four more years in the active reserve before his final discharge.
Six weeks before he was released from active duty, John married Cheryl Sullivan, a Blythe girl he had known for four years. John told Cheryl that unless they were married before he was discharged, he would not have a reason to return to Blythe. If Cheryl had said “no,” the many good things John has done for this community would never have happened.
Upon his return to Blythe, John did not rejoin the Penney Company. Instead, he went to work for the state of California as an inspector at the Blythe agricultural station. He stayed at that job until March 1, 1969, when he became an agent for State Farm Insurance and opened an office in his home. During this time, John and Cheryl became the parents of two sons ­– Robert, who was born in 1964, and Kevin, who was born in 1968.
John insisted that Robert and Kevin get college degrees. Both followed in John’s footsteps, earning associate degrees at Palo Verde College. Both continued on to earn bachelor’s degrees at California State University at San Bernardino.
Robert returned Blythe and went to work in the insurance agency in 1987. Kevin worked at the agency for a year and then became a fire claims adjuster for State Farm. He is now a claims automation specialist in State Farm’s regional office in Tempe, Arizona.
In early 1970, John moved his office from home to a building at 127 East Hobsonway. As the business grew, that building became too small. In 1990, the Crains purchased the building next door at 121 East Hobsonway. They remodeled the building, which had been the Greyhound Bus depot for a number of years, and have maintained the office there ever since.
While John was involved in building his business, he did not forget his community. One of his favorite projects was the Blythe Area Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade. For the past 12 years, the Crain family has organized and run the parade. John always made sure he had the best view of the parade by video taping the event from a vantage point next to the judges’ stand.
John also became a charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Blythe, and he served as a member and past master of Masonic Lodge Number 473. He later was a member of the Lions Club of Blythe.
But John’s commitment to helping others went beyond his participation in organizations. No one will ever know how many individuals John helped over the years because he was not one to seek special recognition for himself. His family remembers some instances such as the times he sent individuals to Mac’s Steak House for a meal on his tab and aided travelers who were down on their luck.
John loved the desert and the river, and he found time to share that love with his family over the years. He had a special love for Palo Verde College. He was appointed to the board of trustees in 1988 and then re-elected to four-year terms in 1989, 1993 and 1997. He served several times as clerk, vice president and president of the board during his tenure. He was instrumental in acquiring the site on the mesa for a new college campus, and he took the heat from those who wanted the college to remain close to its present site. He had a number of reasons for favoring this 200-acre site over others. He knew the state required a minimum of 103 acres in order for the district to be eligible for funding. None of the other suggested sites could meet that requirement. John viewed this site as providing adequate room for expansion and that it would not take any agricultural land out of production. He also felt the view of the college from the valley and the view of the valley from the college would be something special.
To paraphrase his insurance company’s slogan, like a good neighbor, John was always here. John isn’t really gone. His presence continues to be felt in this community, and we will refresh our memories of him each time we look at the new college buildings atop the mesa.