Dean Crawford

Dean Arthur Crawford, 88, of Brevard, passed away peacefully Monday, October 20, 2014. He was born May 15, 1926 in Iowa City, Iowa to the late Ellis and Imogene Crawford.
Mr. Crawford was a Veteran, having served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was a graduate of the University of Iowa where he received his BA, MA and Ph.D before teaching at Ball State University and later at the University of Minnesota in Duluth.
He retired to Hendersonville in 1985 and later to Brevard in 2007. He was a gifted teacher of American history and dedicated to training teachers. While in Minnesota he directed a project for the education of Chippewa Indian children which led to human relations education for Minnesota teacher certification.
He continued to serve community education programs and volunteered with the Blue Ridge Center for Life-Long Learning in affiliation with Blue Ridge Community College. He also volunteered at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education and was a regular contributor to the Center's newsletter "Wild Times."

Mr. Crawford had a lifelong interest in music and was instrumental in bringing the Swannanoa Chamber Music Summer Festival into the Hendersonville-Brevard area. Until recently he was a member of the Brevard Musicke Antiqua consort.

His special joy was being out in the Pisgah Forest leading hiking groups, simultaneously teaching about wildlife and wildflowers. He wrote a field guidebook, "Fifty-Five easy and Moderate Hikes in and near Pisgah National Forest."

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, JoAnn; son Stephen of Fargo, ND; daughter-in-law Maribeth of Clyde, NC; grandchildren Ian Crawford of Fargo, ND and Katelyn Eckert of Mountain Home, NC and beloved sister Carol Ryan of Whidbey Island, WA.

Memorial Services will be held for Dr. Crawford at 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, November 13, 2014 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, Brevard, with Rev. Ernie Mills officiating.

Memorial gifts can be sent to the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, PO Box 1600, 1401 Fish Hatchery Road, Pisgah Forest, NC 28768 or online in memory of Dean directed to the PCWE at www.ncwildlife.org .

To leave a condolence for the Crawford family, please visit "obituaries" at www.moore-fh.com .

Moore Funeral Home & Cremation Services is serving the family.