Palmer Lake Historical Society, Nov. 21 – Life of town hero explored

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) held its monthly membership meeting at the Palmer Lake Town Hall on Nov. 21. The program was presented by Jim Sawatzki, past president of PLHS and author and filmmaker through his company Palmer Divide Productions. He is producer and director of several historical documentaries including General Palmer, Village on the Divide, and Above and Beyond, a biographical documentary and interview with William “Bill” Crawford. See https://.pcisys.net/-pdpmark/index.html. Information on the William J. Crawford Memorial is posted at https://palmerdividehistory.org/crawford-memorial/.

If you have ever driven down Highway 105 between Monument and Palmer Lake and have seen the sign along that stretch of the highway that has been named the William J. Crawford Highway and wondered who he was, you would find out that we had a WWII hero living among us in the Palmer Lake. He was born May 19, 1918 in Pueblo and joined the U.S. Army in 1943, as a private with the 142nd Infantry Regiment 36th Infantry Division and deployed to Southern Italy.

**Above:** William J. Crawford, resident of Palmer Lake and WWII recipient of Presidential Medal of Honor. Photo courtesy wikipedia.com

On the day he was acting as squad scout, his squad was attacked and Crawford twice moved forward through continuous machine gun fire, using hand grenades and his rifle and destroyed the machine gun nests, and his platoon was able to advance. After the battle, he was captured by the Germans and presumed dead. His father was presented the Medal of Honor posthumously in 1944. Later that year, Crawford was among the soldiers rescued from German captivity. (Wikipedia.org)

He was married to Ellen Bruce in 1946, re-enlisted in the Army and retired in 1967 with the rank of master sergeant. He and his wife moved to Palmer Lake until their passing. Crawford died March 15, 2000. During retirement, he helped found Palmer Lake VFW Post 3915 and was on the Board of Directors of the Lucretia Vaile Museum, which is now operated by PLHS. He worked as a janitor at the Air Force Academy for years, with no one knowing that he was a Medal of Honor recipient.

It wasn’t until 1976, when one of the cadets read Crawford’s name in a history book they were studying about WWII battles, that he openly talked about his life. After some coaxing, the awestruck cadets were able get him to tell them his story. In 1984, during graduation, the faculty and students arranged for President Reagan to present him his Medal of Honor in person four decades after he was first awarded it. See warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/william-crawford-quiet-hero.html.

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The Palmer Lake Historical Society is a nonprofit 501(C)(3) and holds regular meetings at the Townhall, 42 Crescent Valley St., Palmer Lake, on the third Thursday of the month. Membership information and future presentations can found at palmerdividehistory.org.

There is no meeting in December. The next meeting will be Jan. 16 with the Annual Historical Society Pot Luck Supper and Membership Drive. Members will elect officers for 2025.

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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