GEORGE P. CRUMBLEY, JR.
“Father of Peach Bowl”,
Local Humanitarian
As Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation sought to strengthen its outreach to the blind, it turned to George Pierce Crumbley, Jr. who led the development and certification by the NCAA of the Peach Bowl, then the nation’s first charity bowl. Crumbley served as Executive Director of Atlanta’s post-season collegiate football classic for 18 years until 1985. During that time, more than $1 million was raised for the benefit of the visually impaired in Georgia. Later he leveraged his success with the Peach Bowl as Executive Director of the Scottish Rite Festival where he expanded the Georgia-Georgia Tech freshman football game into a festival of events that increased its child care funding from $250,000 to over $1 million annually. Crumbley, who died September 15, 2009 at age 86, was a native Atlantan who attended Atlanta Public Schools and worked nights for the Associated Press while attending Tech High School. He supported his own college education and held a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Emory University, where he later was twice named to Emory University’s Board of Visitors, receiving in 1981 Emory University Association’s highest recognition, the Emory Medal. At the age of 19, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and served for four years, a veteran of World War II. Subsequently, Crumbley accepted a commission as 2d Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves’ Intelligence Branch, retiring 19 years later as Lieutenant Colonel. His professional life began with WSB Radio and Television as sales manager, after which he became CBS’s southeastern manager. Then in 1962 he formed Crumbley & Associates, a full service advertising agency, where he served as president until selling his company in 1986 to his daughter, Cheryl Lee. During his advertising career, he served as president of the International Federation of Advertising Agencies and also received the Distinguished Public Relations Award from the Public Relations Society of America’s Georgia Chapter. Described as an indefatigable leader and supporter of the Lions and many other civic and charitable endeavors, Crumbley’s life was distinguished by service to others. He was honored with Lifetime Membership in the Atlanta Lions Club where he had served since 1958, including president and chairman of the board positions. He was Lions District Governor in 1969, elected to the position of International Director of Lions International in 1974 and re-appointed to the Lions International Board for four additional terms. He served as General Chairman of the 1982 Lions International Convention in Atlanta, then the largest convention ever held in the city, with attendance exceeding 30,000. George Crumbley was Lifetime Director of the Georgia Lions Lighthouse and served as Trustee of the Georgia Eye Bank for over 20 years. In 1976, he received the highest Lions International honor, the Ambassador of Goodwill Award, followed in 1988 by being named Melvin Jones Fellow. Over three decades, Crumbley received more than 20 Presidential Medals from Lions International for his untiring efforts as “good neighbor to the world”. His local contributions to his community were legion as well. Over his life, George Crumbley served as director of Metropolitan Atlanta Association for the Blind; trustee of Foundation for Visually Handicapped Children; director of Metropolitan Atlanta Better Business Bureau; president of Glenwood Hills Little League; president of Victoria Estates Civic Association; project chairman with Georgia Youth Conference on Smoking and Health; chairman of DeKalb Cancer-Educations Fund Crusade; and was appointed chairman of the Special Study Committee for Georgia Industries for the Blind by President Jimmy Carter when he was Georgia’s Governor. Always active in church affairs, he served as administrative board chairman of Ousley United Methodist Church and later as chairman of the building committee that constructed a new sanctuary when the Church was located on Candler Road in DeKalb County. Additionally, Crumbley served as trustee of Churches Home Foundation, Inc. until his death. Surviving are his wife Carolyn Hardy Crumbley of 65 years; his daughter and son-in-law Cheryl and Dan Lee of Atlanta; granddaughter and husband Stephanie and Pauly Comtois, and great-grandson Reilly Comtois of Atlanta; and grandson Josh Crumbley of St. Simons Island. He was predeceased by his son Tommy Crumbley of Jasper. Services will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, September 18, 2009 at Decatur First United Methodist Church, where he was a member for many years, with Bishop L. Bevel Jones, Dr. David Naglee and Rev. James Stiles officiating. Interment will be held at Westview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made either to Georgia Lions Lighthouse for the Blind, Georgia Lions’ Camp for the Blind, or a charity of choice. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, September 17 at A. S. Turner & Sons
