Estate of Donald Houldcroft

Donald Houldcroft was born in 1938 in Newington, Connecticut. After high school he enlisted
in the Navy. He was trained as a hospital corpsman and he was stationed in many different
places, including Naval Hospitals in Bethesda, Maryland, Newport, Rhode Island, and Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii. He served aboard several destroyers and a mine sweeper. On these ships he
was the head of the medical department and was responsible for the health and safety of the
crew. He spent a year in Vietnam as a medic with the Marines. He retired from the Navy as a
chief hospital corpsman after 20 years of service. Following his retirement from the Navy, he
completed undergraduate and graduate degrees. He traveled to Costa Rica where he
embedded himself in the culture and learned to speak Spanish fluently. Donald had a second
career as a teacher in the Las Vegas, Nevada public schools for 17 years. He was a dedicated
teacher, mentor, and role model. He was devoted to his students and each year purchased
Christmas presents for his entire class. He remained in contact with many of his students for
years after they graduated. During his lifetime Donald completed two separate, distinguished
careers. He died at the age of 81 in 2019. He wanted part of his legacy to be supporting higher
education for students of Hispanic and Native American backgrounds who had attended Twin
Lakes Elementary School where he taught. He was a good friend, a good shipmate, and a good
caretaker for his two pet Chihuahuas.