Dr. James Franklin Crawford passed away June 8, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia at the age of 89. Jim was born May 16, 1920 in Tabor, Iowa to Frank and Loie Crawford. His father was a dentist and his mother was a music teacher who played the piano. Jim grew up with a love for music. He played trumpet during high school, college and later in the Navy. Jim attended Peru State College in Nebraska and taught music for several years before enlisting in the Navy. He served initially aboard the USS Massachusetts battleship before attending Northwestern University’s Naval Reserve Midshipman’s School. He then served as an officer aboard the USS Niobrara Chiwawa-class oiler. Jim sailed aboard the Niobrara to Tokyo Bay August 30th 1945 to witness the Japanese surrender. After the war, Jim studied at the University of Colorado at Boulder where he met his future wife Miriam Weirick of Colfax, Iowa at a dance. Miriam and Jim married August 14, 1949. Jim earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. His field of interest was labor relations. In 1956 he moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he joined the Economics faculty at Georgia State University. He later became Chair of the Department of Economics. He was a Professor Emeritus of Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Jim enjoyed travel, especially visiting the mountains of Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and Canada. Mim and Jim also traveled to Scotland, England, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Austria and Germany. Closer to home, Jim visited the North Georgia area of Elijay and Big Canoe with Jim always on the lookout for the perfect view. Jim’s home in Atlanta’s Druid Hills overlooked the golf course and he worked persistently on landscaping to create a “perfect view” from his sunroom. Jim had a life-long quest for the ultimate sound system and latest in audiophile technology. He and Miriam spent many hours listening to his collection of big band, swing, jazz and classical music from his collection of 1000+ CDs. Even to the last weeks of his life Jim knew his music – he just had to hear a couple of notes and he could name the artist and tune. After retirement from Georgia State in 1983, Jim stayed active playing tennis, working out at the Athletic Club Northeast and becoming a licensed Realtor. A die-hard Democrat, he followed politics with interest and always enjoyed a good debate and opportunity for wry comment. He was a member of Emory Presbyterian Church, the Atlanta World War II Round Table, and actively participated in the Senior University at Mercer as well as in a breakfast club of fellow economists; Jim and Miriam were season ticket holders of the Atlanta Symphony and Alliance Theater. In addition to his wife Miriam, his daughter Catherine Vandenberg and his son David Crawford, both of Atlanta, Jim is survived by his two sisters, Margaret Lee Marshall of West Lake Village, California and Phyllis Brown of Billings, Montana; and three grandchildren, Paul Jacob Vandenberg of Boston, Michael Turner Vandenberg of San Francisco, and Mark Stephen Vandenberg of Atlanta. He was predeceased last year by his younger brother Paul Crawford of Vista, California. A memorial service will be held at Emory Presbyterian Church, Tuesday, June 16th, at 11 a.m. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at the church fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17 Chicago, IL 60601-7633 or the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra 1280 Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30309 on behalf of James F. Crawford. After cremation, Jim’s ashes will be buried at Big Canoe in a family plot that he acquired for its perfect view.
