LEONARD McKay CRAWFORD

Leonard McKay "Kay" Crawford passed away April 1, 2024 in Spring Hill, FL and is survived by his loving daughters and his beloved parrot "Chauncey". He will be buried in Saltsburg, PA with his family at a later date.

Len was born in Saltsburg, Indiana Co., PA, in 1936, and raised in Avonmore, Westmoreland Co., PA, by foster parents. Upon graduation from high school in 1954, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and after attending aviation schools in Norman, OK, and Lakehurst, NJ, was designated as an Aerographer's Mate (AG).

Len's active duty period included service at the Fleet Weather Central at what was then Port Lyautey, French Morocco; the USS Randolph CVA 15; and the Fleet Weather Central, Norfolk, VA. During his service, Len achieved the rank of AG1.

Immediately following his discharge from active duty in 1958, Len entered the Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, graduating in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture. At the University he was a member of the Pi Alpha Xi Honor Society. Following graduation Len was hired by the Plant Quarantine Division, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and was sent to a 6 month training school in New York City. The Plant Quarantine Division was responsible for preventing the introduction and spread of plant pests and diseases not known to occur in the United States and the expeditious and secure admission of goods and passengers. The school was located in New York City because of the abundance of training opportunities in both maritime and airport activities. Training included classroom sessions; vessel and plane inspection; cargo inspection; inspection of baggage and personal effects of passengers and immigrants; and fumigation procedures for commodities and vessels found infested with exotic pests.

The Plant Quarantine Division eventually evolved into Plant Protection and Quarantine, Animal and Plant Health lnspection Service (APHIS), USDA. After completion of his training period Len was sent to the port of Tampa, FL, where he worked in maritime and airport activities for 3 years before transferring to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Activities in San Juan were many and varied and included both maritime and airport activities as well as inspection and/or fumigation of various agricultural commodities being exported to the mainland U.S.

In 1966, during Len's tour in Puerto Rico he met and married his wife Luisa, familiarly known as Magui. Len and Magui have two daughters, Holly Anne and Heather Grace. Both girls were born in the Presbyterian Hospital in Santurce, PR. In 1971, after spending 6 years in Puerto Rico Len was offered the position of Division Plant Pathologist in San Francisco, CA, with responsibility for northern California and Nevada. While in this position he also assumed responsibility for coordinating the phytosanitary export certification program for the ports of San Francisco and Oakland.

The majority of countries in the world maintain plant and animal health import requirements that exporting countries must certify to at origin. Inspections are tailored to meet the requirements of a particular country and certification, in the case of plants and plant products, by means of Phytosanitary Certificates. The work at San Francisco and environs was interesting, enlightening, exciting, and often terrifying. In addition to his pathology duties, Len also participated in other elements of the job including boarding incoming vessels at all hours of the day and night, often by Jacob's ladder from a Pilot boat while the vessel was underway. Len's personal favorite was the boarding of in-ballast oil tankers at night while they were proceeding to Anchorage in the rough waters of the south bay in winter. Trying to grasp the rungs of a Jacob's ladder suspended from a main deck 35 feet above, at night, from the pitching and rolling deck of a Pilot boat made one want to seek another line of work. Interesting and exciting elements included flying out by Navy helicopter and landing on incoming aircraft carriers for ship stores and crew inspections; and the in-stream boarding of incoming cruise ships to clear passengers before docking.

After almost 6 years in San Francisco, Len was transferred to agency headquarters in Hyattsville, MD, where he was named head of the national Phytosanitary Export Certification program. Len and his family settled in Beltsville, MD, where they remained for the next 20 plus years. The requirements of the position were extremely demanding and required extensive travel, both domestic and foreign. In order to successfully carry out his job, Len collaborated with other USDA agencies, state and local departments of agriculture, academia, environmental organizations, and industry in the development of methods and procedures to satisfy foreign requirements restricting the entry of American agricultural products. Such methods involved novel inspection techniques such as active growth field inspections and biometric sampling; commodity treatments such as fumigations with biocides, methyl bromide and ethylene dibromide; and cold storage among others. Compliance with international phytosanitary standards provides a comparative advantage with many agricultural products and has secured U.S. exporters a top share in the global marketplace. In 1996, the year that Len retired, U.S. agricultural exports totaled $60.4 billion. This is starkly illustrated by the fact that the non­ agricultural trade account was in deficit by $235.1 billion. (U.S. Agriculture and World Trade, 1998).

Eventually, facing burn-out and disgust with the ever increasing meddling by congress and various political appointees causing program decisions to abandon science and logic in favor of political expediency, Len decided to retire from the agency. Retiring in early 1996 with nearly 39 years combined federal civil and military service Len and Magui remained in their Beltsville home until increasing traffic congestion and changing demographics forced a move. With the daughters having moved on to seek their own fortunes, Len and Magui had a modest house built for them in a small retirement community in rural south-central Pennsylvania near Fayetteville. They moved in during the latter part of 1998 where they remained until Magui's failing health dictated yet another move. At the urging of their youngest daughter Heather and her husband, living in Spring Hill, FL, Len and Magui purchased a home just 2 miles from their daughter's residence and made the move from PA in August 2004.

Len's Revolutionary War patriot ancestor was David Armstrong who served as a private in Captain James Taylor's Company, Fourth Pennsylvania Blues, and service date from February 10, 1776. He later served as a private in Captain Noah Abraham's Company, Sixth Battalion, Cumberland County, PA, Militia 1777-80, 1782. David was born in Donegal County, Ireland and died in Butler Co., PA. His cemetery marker reads: "David Armstrong, Pvt. PA Militia, Rev. War, 1746-1811". Len was a proud member of the Sons of the American Revolution.