Earle White Crawford

CRAWFORD, EARLE WHITE - died Thursday, February 7, 2008, in Maryville, Tennessee at age 94. He was born April 29, 1913, in Maryville, the third of six sons of John Calvin Crawford and Maud Farnham Crawford. Two of his brothers, Roy D. Crawford and John C Crawford, Jr., remained in Maryville and practiced law with their father. Earle and his brother, Ernest, became Presbyterian ministers, and his two brothers, George and Lynn, pursued business careers outside Maryville. Crawford graduated from Maryville High School in 1931, earned the Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Maryville College in 1935, and the Bachelor of Divinity degree from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kentucky in 1938. He became the minister of Kirkwood Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, Tennessee, where he served until 1942. During that time he took leave to earn the Master of Theology degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey. During 1942-45 he was a chaplain in the U.S. Army. He participated in the North African and Italian campaigns of World War II and was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious conduct in combat. Upon return from Europe after WWII, he married Helen Seivers of Knoxville and became the associate minister of Second Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, Tennessee. He held this position until 1950 when he was called to be the minister of First Presbyterian Church, Wichita Falls, Texas. Crawford led the First Presbyterian congregation for the next 28 years and became deeply engaged in community activities in Texas. He was a trustee of Trinity University in San Antonio for 25 years, a trustee of the Amarillo Childrens Home and the Albuquerque Menaul School, a director of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Child Welfare Board, a board member of the Wichita Falls Boys Club, president of the Kiwanis Club, and a leader of the Conference of Christians and Jews. He received the honorary LL.D. degree from Midwestern State University in Texas in 1951. During this time he was also very involved in United Presbyterian Church U.S.A. governance. He led and served on numerous committees at all levels of the Presbyterian Church, and he was moderator of two synods and three presbyteries. Crawford was a preacher on the Protestant Hour from 1950 to 1958. He also authored numerous books, including An Endless Line of Splendor, Samuel Doak: Pioneer Missionary in East Tennessee, and One of Those Tall Tennesseeans. In 1985 Maryville College honored Crawford with the Alumni Citation, which is awarded annually for distinguished service to mankind. After retiring from First Presbyterian Church in 1978, he became the chaplain of Presbyterian Manor in Wichita Falls. Crawford had led the campaign to build Presbyterian Manor, a retirement home, and he later was the champion for creating a unit for residents with Alzheimer's disease. The facility was dedicated as the Earle W. Crawford House of Hope in 2007. Crawford was married to the former Helen Seivers of Knoxville for 57 years until her death in 2002. He returned to live in his beloved East Tennessee in the last year of his life. He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Roy and Dorothy Crawford of Maryville; a sister-in-law, Janice Crawford of Glenshaw, Pennsylvania; two nephews of Maryville, Duncan Crawford and Roy Crawford, Jr.; and seven nieces and nephews residing outside Tennessee. On Wednesday, February 13, a memorial service led by The Reverend Dr. Emily Anderson will be held at 10:30 a.m. at New Providence Presbyterian Church in Maryville and a graveside service led by The Reverend Paul McNiel will be held at 3:30 p.m. at Lynnhurst Cemetery in Knoxville. The family is requesting memorials be sent to The Good Samaritan Fund, Presbyterian Manor, 4600 Taft Blvd, Wichita Falls, Texas 76308, in lieu of flowers. McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home 982-6812.