Joseph W. Crosby; School Superintendent

Joseph W. Crosby, who served as superintendent of the Oxnard Union High School District for 18 years, died Tuesday evening after a brief illness. He was 77.

Crosby lived in Camarillo with his wife, Lucille. The couple had been married 50 years.

As superintendent of the high school district from 1957 to 1974, Crosby oversaw an ambitious building program to keep up with the area’s growing population. Under his leadership, bond measures were passed to build El Rio, Hueneme and Channel Islands high schools, his wife said.

Crosby also directed the construction of Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks high schools, which later split off to form the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

Despite his accomplishments as superintendent, it was counseling students that Crosby enjoyed most, his wife said.

“If there had been enough children who had a problem, he wouldn’t have taken the superintendency,” she said.

Prior to being named superintendent, Crosby organized and ran Oxnard High School’s counseling department for eight years.

Born in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Crosby grew up in Los Angeles. He earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif.

After serving in the U.S. Coast Guard for two years, he earned a master’s degree in philosophy and a Ph.D. in education from the University of Southern California.

After retiring in Oxnard, Crosby taught graduate school classes on military bases in Europe from 1974-79. He is survived by a son, Harry, and three grandchildren.