I received a letter the other day from Allen Blake '57. The letter was meant to be a "class note," just an update on things, some great old stories and some recent news. Indeed, the note took care of some business, but there was much more there.
Allen shared news of his conquests on the fields of Tabor: MVP in Football, Basketball and Baseball his last year; winner of the Frederick Thompson Award for Outstanding Athlete; and co-captain of the football team with George M. "Chico" Crawford. This is where things got interesting. Apparently, Chico was among the first African-Americans admitted to Tabor and was a wonderful athlete and friend. He went on to Kenyon College, played pro-ball with the Pirates for three years, served in Vietnam and was selected for President Kennedy's Honor guard, until he was struck by a truck running a red light in his VW bug and was paralyzed from the neck down. But his accomplishments go on!
Allen shared that George became an attorney and argued cases before the US Supreme Court on behalf of discrimination plaintiffs against Fortune 500 companies and others. Allen, also a lawyer, said, "I would push George into the courtroom and he argued the issues just like when we were one of the four elected to the Student Council at Tabor!" He recounted the meetings in Jim Wickendon's living room when they would go over all the campus issues. "Chico would give a long drawn dissertation on each issue, and the Headmaster would turn to me and ask, 'What is your opinion, Al?' And I would reply, in my shyness, 'I agree with everything George said.'"
Upon George's death in 2006, Al set up The George M. Crawford Scholarship in his friend's memory. This was an act of kindness and sheer admiration that will support motivated students here at Tabor like George for many years to come. Hopefully, the beneficiaries can follow the examples of both of these men: One who would not be held down by adversity, and the other who turned his admiration into something real and productive while affirming his dear friend; both who have impacted many people by their actions.
Thank you, Al, for your wonderfully inspirational note.
