Lieutenant, Hull Repair Officer, United States Naval Reserve, 1942-1946; he served in the South Pacific during the war; Draftsman, Kruse and Klein, Davenport, IA, summers 1936-1938; Draftsman, Kruse and Parish, Davenport, IA, summers 1938-1941; Principal, John W. Kruse, Architect, 1947-1948; Associated with Albert Henry Hill (1913-1984), San Francisco, CA, 1948-1965; acted as Supervising Architect, Albert Henry Hill, Architect, San Francisco, CA, 1948-1955; Kruse also worked for Harold B. Zook, Architect, Pasadena, CA, as a Supervising Architect in 1950; Zook (b. 1920) was a classmate at Cornell University; Partner, Hill and Kruse, Architects, San Francisco, CA, 1965- ; as noted by the University of California, Berkeley Environmental Design Archives: "With Hill as the designer and Kruse as the structural expert, the prolific partnership would result in more than 500 residences and commercial buildings in California, Hawaii, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Quebec, and El Salvador. Hill and Kruse would win numerous awards for design throughout their careers, collectively and individually." (See "Inventory of the Henry Hill and John Kruse Collection,"Accessed 10/12/2012.)

He married the late Elizabeth Cattori Kruse in 1946 and together they raised four children. For the past 15 years, Jack was happily married to Miriam Sours Kruse of Carmel. He will be deeply missed by his wife Miriam; his children, Claudia and Karen Kruse of San Francisco, Walter Kruse of San Sebastian, Spain and Maria Kruse of Burbank; his granddaughter, Aia Kruse; and his sister Janet (Mrs. Robert) Conlan.

Member, American Institute of Architects (AIA), 1951-2000; Chairman, Northern California Chapter, American Institute of Architects, Activities Committee, 1953-1954; in 1955, Kruse was a Registered Architect in CA and was NCARB Certified; Director, San Francisco Planning and Housing Association, 1955-1957; Member, Construction Specifications Institute.

Hill as the designer and Kruse as the structural expert

A collection of documents pertaining to the practice of Albert Henry Hill and John W. Kruse's practice was donated by the Kruse Family to the Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, in 2002. The collection is called: "Henry Hill and John Kruse collection, 2002-2, Environmental Design Archives. College of Environmental Design. University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, California." The Online Archive of California web site indicated: "Collection Number: 2002-2. Extent: 1 box, 1 tall box, 5 cartons, 1 flat file drawer, and 1 tube. The Hill & Kruse Collection is comprised of two boxes, five cartons, and two flat file drawers of material primarily consisting of project files and drawings of their many projects, most of which are private residences in the Bay Area. Also included in the collection are materials that highlight Hill’s early ideas and influences on his architecture, including the use of wood, the natural surrounding landscape, and Japanese architecture. In addition, there are folders of material publicizing Hill and Kruse’s work. The small series of personal papers includes mostly biographical information, in the form of applications and resumes from Hill and Kruse, as well as Kruse’s student drawings and Hill’s small collection of quotations. The professional papers contain a collection of writings by and about Hill and his projects, lectures given by Hill, and clippings collected by Hill as references. It is here that one sees Hill’s emerging influences, in such articles as Wood in Living Architecture, Architecture in the Landscape, and The Individual in Architecture. Office records contain a diverse range of materials: client lists and ledgers, internal and external correspondence, published articles and promotional materials highlighting the architects’ work, Kruse’s master detail drawings, and information regarding Tenex, a product used by Hill in his homes. The project files include records, photographs, and drawings from the buildings and private residences that make up Hill’s and Kruse’s legacy. Many of their homes are located around the Bay Area, but there are also projects from across the country. Altogether the files contain records for 253 projects.. Major public buildings include the hiring hall of the International Longshoreman’s and Warehouseman’s Union in San Francisco and a chapel at the public hospital in Moline, IL. Custodial History: The collection was received as unorganized records from John Kruse’s family." (See "Inventory of the Henry Hill and John Kruse Collection,"Accessed 10/12/2012. See alsoAccessed 10/12/2012.)

Coursework, Saint Ambrose College, Davenport, IA, 1935-1937; B.Arch., Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1942; Kruse attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA for four months taking naval architecture classes in 1942.

Elected to Tau Beta Pi and Gargoyle while at Cornell University.

Kruse was born in Davenport, IA, and attended college in three places: Saint Ambrose College in his hometown of Davenport, IA, Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA. During the summers away from Cornell, he returned to Davenport to work in his father's architectural office. He joined the US Navy during World War II, where he was stationed in the Pacific Theatre. He returned to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he remained for the rest of his life. He resided for an extended period in Woodside, CA, what became a posh suburb of estates on the San Francisco Peninsula. In his later years, Kruse developed Alzheimer's Disease. He was buried in the Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, CA, just south of San Francisco.

At his death in 2000, his sister, Janet (Mrs. Robert) Conlan, survived him.

Jack Kruse Married twice. He wed Elizabeth Cattori Kruse in 1946; in 1985, he married Miriam Sours Kruse of Carmel, CA.

Jack and Elizabeth Kruse had four children: Claudia, Karen, Walter and Maria. In 2000, Claudia and Karen lived in San Francisco, CA, Walter in San Sebastian, Spain, and Maria in Burbank, CA.

Member, Commonwealth Club of CA, 1949-?; President, Cornell Club of Northern CA, 1950-1952; President, Golden Gate Toastmasters Club, 1953; known as "Jack." Member, Woodside, CA, Town Council; Member, Menlo Country Club, Woodside, CA; Kruse had a passion for golf.

• Davenport, IO (Architect's Birth)
  Davenport, IO

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