Newspaper Column: "This I Believe" by Don Crawford, 1960s

Crawford retired in 1990. He died in December of 2000 at the age of 78. In 2002, a public park in Dayton was named in his honor

Series I: Personal Papers The personal papers of Don L. Crawford, Jr., document his private life, his rise to prominence as a public speaker and civil servant, and the many special honors and awards he received during (and even after) his lifetime. This is the largest series in the Don L. Crawford Papers. It is rich in correspondence, newspaper articles, and public speaking related materials. The race relations study materials (folder 7) include items from the National Urban League, Dayton Public Schools and Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library.

Series II: City of Dayton The City of Dayton papers relate to Don Crawford's election to the Dayton City Commission, his work as a Commission member (1961-1967), and his work as Clerk of the Commission (1967-1990). The folders in this series are surprisingly thin. They contain some campaign publications, a few City of Dayton publications, and a small number of miscellaneous Commission-related documents. Of special note, this series includes some White House, Congressional and National Conference of Mayors event invitations. This series also includes two oversized aerial photographs of downtown Dayton taken around 1970.

Series III: Civic and Professional Organizations Series III contains reports, newsletters, publications and other papers reflecting Don Crawford's membership in (and leadership of) a variety of civic, business and fraternal organizations. Like series II, the materials in series III are not very extensive. The strongest topic covered in series III is Don's long-term relationship with the Boy Scouts of America, Miami Valley Council.

Series IV: Family Papers The final series in this collection contains materials by and about Don L. Crawford's father, Don L. Crawford, Sr., Don Jr's wife, Agatha Crawford Payne, and their daughter, Donella Crawford. The items relating to Donella Crawford are the strongest part of this series. Series IV features newspaper articles, photographs, a WWI post card and booklet from Don Crawford, Sr., and items relating to Donella's school years.