Lakeland University is mourning the passing of a former faculty member with three decades of service to the school.
Lakeland has shared that longtime theatre and speech professor James “JC” Crawford passed away on December 5th.
During his 30-year tenure with the university beginning in 1977, JC was considered the face of Lakeland Theatre, which staged 82 productions, 74 of which were directed by Crawford.
His time was also considered a golden age for the university’s Theatre Department, which welcomed more than 60 playwrights to entertain audiences.
He was also the Chair of the college’s theatre and speech department and was pivotal in the founding of Lakeland’s Early Music Ensemble.
Upon his retirement in 2007, he was named Professor Emeritus, Lakeland’s highest honour for a faculty member.
Lakeland was also an integral part of his personal life as well as he married Lucretia Crawford, a fellow faculty member, in 1983, who was married behind the University’s Ley Chapel while their son, Ramsay, was a 2008 graduate.
At the time of his death, Crawford was 83.
