A conventionally religious—and therefore somewhat surprising—Fortean.
Dennis Fitzpatrick Crolly was born 9 November 1875 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to William Sarsfield and the former Theresa Feeley. William was an Irish immigrant, Theresa from that area of Pennsylvania. Dennis had at least one brother. He attended local Catholic schools,
St. John’s, from 1888-1891, and graduating from St. Thomas (now the University of Scranton) in 1901. According to his recollections, he held a variety of jobs and moved around quite a bit: construction water boy, cash boy, assistant janitor, printer’s devil, railroad construction. And then he moved to New York City, where he was attached to the International Correspondence School, setting him upon a writerly path for the rest of his life.
In 1910, Crolly experienced a Fortean rain, of sorts, when, he walked under the South Washington avenue bridge, wearing his best suit. A shower of hot water and culm rained down upon him. The source wasn’t too mysterious, though: the bridge supported railroad tracks, and he sued the Lackawanna railroad for $500.
For the most part after he went to work for he ICS, Crolly settled in the Scranton area: home. Over his life he would be involved in many civic organizations and become well-known as a motivational speaker. He was also part of the movement protect against mine cave-ins. Newspapers from the area are full of announcements for talks he was to give. By 1914—before he was yet 40— he was a familiar figure about town. The “Scranton Truth” reported in October of that year, “Dennis F. Crolly, of the I.C.S publicity department, is famed for his ties and bachelorhood. He excels in both, according to his friends. He is also an indefatigable worker, and his motto is ‘Loyalty.’ You can find him post every day safely ensconced in his little office on the secon [sic] floor of the I.C.S. Annex building on Wyoming avenue. It is there that he does his valuable work for the company, decides on the shade of the tie he will wear the next day and safe from the guiles of bewitching eligibles [sic]. But withal he is popular, and his appearance in any part of the building generally brings an avalanche of cross-eyeing as he walks about.”
Dennis Fitzpatrick Crolly was born 9 November 1875 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to William Sarsfield and the former Theresa Feeley. William was an Irish immigrant, Theresa from that area of Pennsylvania. Dennis had at least one brother. He attended local Catholic schools,
St. John’s, from 1888-1891, and graduating from St. Thomas (now the University of Scranton) in 1901. According to his recollections, he held a variety of jobs and moved around quite a bit: construction water boy, cash boy, assistant janitor, printer’s devil, railroad construction. And then he moved to New York City, where he was attached to the International Correspondence School, setting him upon a writerly path for the rest of his life.
In 1910, Crolly experienced a Fortean rain, of sorts, when, he walked under the South Washington avenue bridge, wearing his best suit. A shower of hot water and culm rained down upon him. The source wasn’t too mysterious, though: the bridge supported railroad tracks, and he sued the Lackawanna railroad for $500.
For the most part after he went to work for he ICS, Crolly settled in the Scranton area: home. Over his life he would be involved in many civic organizations and become well-known as a motivational speaker. He was also part of the movement protect against mine cave-ins. Newspapers from the area are full of announcements for talks he was to give. By 1914—before he was yet 40— he was a familiar figure about town. The “Scranton Truth” reported in October of that year, “Dennis F. Crolly, of the I.C.S publicity department, is famed for his ties and bachelorhood. He excels in both, according to his friends. He is also an indefatigable worker, and his motto is ‘Loyalty.’ You can find him post every day safely ensconced in his little office on the secon [sic] floor of the I.C.S. Annex building on Wyoming avenue. It is there that he does his valuable work for the company, decides on the shade of the tie he will wear the next day and safe from the guiles of bewitching eligibles [sic]. But withal he is popular, and his appearance in any part of the building generally brings an avalanche of cross-eyeing as he walks about.”