John C. Crawford III ’59

John C. Crawford III ’59 died on July 4 of pancreatic cancer in Atlanta, Ga. He was born in Maryville, Tenn., on Mar. 23, 1937, the son of John C. Crawford, Jr. and America Crawford. After graduating from Davidson, he joined the U.S. Navy and served three years as a communications officer aboard the U.S.S. Springfield, the cruiser flagship of the Mediterranean Sixth Fleet. After active duty he continued his military career in the Naval Reserve, retiring after 21 years of service in the rank of commander. He graduated from Vanderbilt Law School in 1966 and joined his family law firm, Crawford & Crawford, in Maryville, where he practiced law with his father, John Jr., and his uncle, Roy. In 1973 he left the firm to become an assistant district attorney for Blount, Loudon, and Roane counties. He was elected circuit court judge, division II, for Blount County, handling primarily criminal cases, and was reelected to this position. While living in Maryville, he was a member of the Maryville-Alcoa Sertoma Club and served on the boards of directors of Child and Family Services, the Maryville Community Theatre, and the Blount County Council for the Arts. He was a lifetime member and elder of New Providence Presbyterian Church in Maryville and served on the Synod’s Permanent Judicial Commission. He retired from the legal profession in 1990 and moved to Atlanta. There he was a member of the Decatur Civic Chorus and the Greater Atlanta Rose Society and a volunteer at the Atlanta Branch of the National Archives and in adult literacy programs. Among his interests were genealogical research, music, books and reading, collecting art, flower gardening, and German shepherd dogs. He is survived by his sister, Carolyn Crawford Thorsen (Tom), 50 Biscayne Dr. NW, Unit 5114, Atlanta, GA 30309-2068; his brother, Duncan Crawford (Margaret Ellen); his uncle and aunt, Roy and Dorothy Crawford; and six nieces and nephews, John Chesnutt, Maggie Chesnutt, Rebecca Crawford, Adam Crawford, Tom Chesnutt, and Carol Chesnutt.