Physics Professor Emeritus George W. Crawford (1922 – 2018) passed away peacefully on 16 July 2018 at his home in Dallas, Texas.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 72 years, Jeannette; daughters Martha Ann (husband Chuck), Barbara and Jean; grandchildren Susan Beth, Anna (husband Doug), Robert, and Robin (husband Zach); and four great grandchildren: Shelby, Joey, Grace, and Benjamin.
George was raised in San Antonio and graduated from Brackenridge High School. He was an Eagle Scout and attended the first National Boy Scout Jamboree in 1937. He earned BS, MA and PhD degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.
George served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII as a First Lieutenant and flew 50 missions as a B-24 bomber pilot. His book, “Three Crawford Brothers, The WWII Memoirs of Three Pilots” documents this service.
Professional experience included teaching at Clemson University, the UT Department of Petroleum Engineering, and SMU. He also headed the physics branch of the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine where he sent research into space in the Discoverer Rocket series beginning in 1959.
George joined the SMU faculty in 1963. He served as Chair of the Physics Department, and helped design the popular dual Physics-Engineering degree program. While at SMU he did extensive research in a wide variety of fields including nuclear physics, radiation dosimetry, solid state physics, and environmental issues. He held a Visiting Scientist position at the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, and his research was supported, in part, by NASA. George retired from SMU in 1992, and he continued to teach environmental science courses in the MLA (Master of Liberal Arts) program through 2005.
George served on numerous boards, including the General Board of Christian Social Concerns of the United Methodist Church and the Texas Committee on Natural Resources. He co-founded and was first chair of the Population Institute of Washington DC. He had a lifelong commitment to world peace and nuclear disarmament, women's rights, gay rights, human rights, and clean air and water. George was firm in both his faith and his work as a scientist. He was a generous and loving father, son, brother, husband, and grand-father.
A celebration of his life and legacy will be held Saturday, August 4,11:00 am at Northaven United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to: Northaven UMC, 11211 Preston Rd, Dallas, TX 75230; The Population Institute, 105 2nd St, NE Washington, DC 20002; or the charity of your choice.