Joe Crawford, an Ames resident and former professor of mechanical engineering, died September 28 at Northcrest Community in Ames at age 92. Crawford was born August 30, 1921 in Otis, Colo. to Charles W. and Elinor (Neel) Crawford. After growing up in Cedar Rapids and attending Washington High School, Joe served as an Army mechanic in Europe during World War II. He attended Iowa State on the GI bill after the war, and earned his Bachelor of Science and Master’s degrees in mechanical engineering.
During his years as an undergraduate student, Crawford was an Iowa State Singer and an enthusiastic Cyclone fan. Joe married Betty Brown in Cedar Rapids on September 17, 1950, then worked for Rockwell Collins before returning to Iowa State in 1958 to teach mechanical and freshman engineering.
Ellen Mullen, Joe’s daughter, said her father loved working with students and she has heard from many who took his classes over the years. “They all tell me what a great professor he was. They remark on his ability to effectively facilitate learning, his warm personality and kindness, and his patience and calm. He was indeed a good man,” Mullen said.
Joe worked in an industry consulting capacity for several summers in the 1960s. Two of those summers he spent in New York, doing research and teaching at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Crawford also co-authored a textbook with Carl Arnbal and Gordon Sanders while on the Iowa State faculty. Joe served as an assistant and associate professor until his retirement in 1987.
Joe’s love for music endured throughout his life, and he remained active with the Bethesda Lutheran Church and choir, as well as the Ames Kiwanis and Friar’s Club. His other interests included golfing, bowling, antiquing and ballroom dancing. Joe loved cheering on the Cyclones and missed few Iowa State games as both a student and faculty member.