Crawley, Joe O., 1870-1938

Most of the items in the Joe O. Crawley Family Papers were collected and/or created by Joe O. Crawley (1870-1938), Mrs. Joe (Sarah Elizabeth) Crawley (1876-1972) and their daughter, Mildred Crawley Christopher (1903-1989).

Joe O. Crawley was born in 1870, moved to Arlington to work for a contractor in 1891, and made his career in the building industry. Joe married Sarah Elizabeth Thomas in 1895. They had three children: Cecil, Jim, and Mildred. Joe Crawley helped to construct the first Presbyterian churches in Arlington and the Arlington College/Carlisle Military School buildings. Joe Crawley also helped to build and/or remodel some of Arlington's early homes and businesses. He was elected Arlington Street Commissioner and also served as Fire Chief of the Volunteer Fire Department. He became grounds superintendent for North Texas Agricultural College (NTAC) in 1924 and remained there until his death in Arlington in 1938.

Mrs. Joe (Sarah Elizabeth) Crawley was born on February 15, 1876, in Sycamore, Alabama. She was a Red Cross worker in both world wars and active in the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington. She sang in the choir, taught a class of girls for 25 years, and later taught a women's bible class. After her husband's death in 1938 she used her home as a dormitory for the "military boys" before the college had dormitories. "It was a military house and I was a first lieutenant," she explained to a reporter in 1971. Many of these "military boys" went on to serve in World War II and corresponded with "Lieutenant" Crawley and addressed her as "Granny." These letters to Granny clearly demonstrate the love these young men felt for Mrs. Crawley and suggest that her home was a very special place during the early years of what is now the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA).

Mildred Crawley Christopher was born in Arlington in 1903. She graduated from Arlington High School in 1922 and became an organizer for the Roaring 20s high school reunions. Correspondence with her classmates provides details about the lives of these graduates through 1982. She was also a graduate of NTAC and majored in voice and piano. She played piano for a silent movie theater in Arlington; a photograph of this theater is included in the Crawley Papers. She was an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington and sang in the choir for 50 years. She was also a member of the Eastern Star. She and her husband Royce had two daughters, Sarabeth (Mrs. Wylie Mack Kimmons) and Jeanne (Mrs. L. J. Miears). Mrs. Christopher died in 1989.

From the guide to the Joe O. Crawley Family Papers GA219-221., 1894-1982, (Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington Library)