Crawford, Robert, 1899-1961

Robert MacArthur Crawford was an adventurer and composer. He grew up in Alaska where he drove a stagecoach and learned to fly light aircraft. Later he went to Princeton University and then study in France where his main interest was in music and voice. He received a graduate fellowship to the Julliard School of Music. Afterwards, he gave many concerts and became known as the "Flying Baritone". In 1938, he wrote the "Air Force Song". During World War II he was a pilot in the Air Transport Command, and then he returned to his music career.

Robert M. Crawford (1899-1961), son of Ronald M. and Mabel Crawford, was born in Dawson, Yukon. In 1905 the family moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, where Robert spent his boyhood. Robert graduated from Princeton University with a degree in music and went on to earn a graduate degree from the Julliard School of Music. His career included concert performances as a baritone, teaching, and musical composition. A licensed pilot who served in the Air Transport Command during World War II and subsequently in the Air Force Reserve, he is best known as the composer of the official U.S. Air Force anthem, which begins with the line "Off we go into the wild blue yonder."