In Memory of
Rudd Crawford
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December 2, 1994 FACULTY (etc. 1953-1972) Rudd Adams Crawford (86) Monterey County Herald, CA Dec 1994 Environmental activist Rudd Crawford diesRudd Adams Crawford, 86, of Carmel Valley, a retired principal of Pacific Grove Junior High School and a dedicated environmental activist, died in his sleep Thursday at his home. Born Feb. 18, 1908, in Chongqing, China, the son of a teacher, he lived in China until he was 11, then moved with his family to Pasadena. He had lived on the Monterey Peninsula for more than 40 years, the last four at Hacienda Carmel in Carmel Valley. Mr. Crawford earned a bachelor’s degree at Occidental College in 1930 and a master’s degree at Columbia University in 1936. He began his career as a principal at a New Jersey junior high school, moving in 1953 to Pacific Grove, where he combined three schools with low attendance into one, now known as Pacific Grove Middle School. He retired in 1972. In 1979, Mr. Crawford was honored with the Sierra Club’s highest national award for his leadership in the establishment of the Ventana Wilderness in Los Padres National Forest in 1969 and for working to enlarge the wilderness area in 1977. He was also cited in that award for his contributions to the Ventana chapter of the Sierra Club’s year-round weekend outings, program and for his work in bringing a Santa Cruz group of 1,000 members into the chapter. His longtime friend Vern Yadon, retired director of the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History and a Pacific Grove city councilman, said Mr. Crawford led hundreds of field trips for the Sierra Club in the Ventana Wilderness and the Sirra Nevada and also led conservation trips through the Del Monte Forest. “As far as I was concerned,” Yadon siad, “he always set a tenor. He was enthusiastic and that enthusiasm couldn’t help but rub off on whoever went with him.” He called Mr. Crawford “one of the better conservationists who never had a political motive. And he was always the same person. He never changed his spots.” Roy Anderson of Carmel, who served with Mr. Crawford in the Ventana chapter of the Sierra Club, called him “an inspiring leader” in both Sierra Club administrative affairs as well as in outdoor activities. “I had the good fortune to go on many outings with him – hikes, backpack trips, both locally and in the Sierra Nevada – and he was a great companion on the trail,” Anderson said. Mr. Crawford also was active in the campaign for the creation of Jacks Peak Park, the Yosemite Master Plan and the California Coastal Plan. He served as a member of the Monterey Peninsula Regional park District board for 10 years. He served two terms as chairman of the Ventana chapter of the Sierra Club, as well as two terms on the chapter’s executive committee, and served on the Open Space Advisory Committee for the Pebble Beach Foundation. He was also a member of the Pacific Grove Rotary Club and the Church of the Wayfarer. He is survived by his wife, Mary; two sons, Rudd Jr. of Oberlin, Ohio, and Paul of Port Angeles, Wash.; a brother, Paul of Santa Barbara; and a sister, Jean Haugen of Oslo, Norway; and four grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Church of the Wayferer. The Paul Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. The family suggests that any memorial contributions be sent to the college scholarship fund at the Church of the Wayfarer in Carmel. |
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