The Awahili District, Occoneechee Council of the Boy Scouts of America honored longtime local public servant James (Jim) W. Crawford, Jr. Thursday night and named him the 2018 George Rose Watkins, Sr. Citizen of the Year.
For the fifth time in as many years, a dinner was held at the Henderson Country Club, with Crawford serving as the honoree. George Watkins shook hands with Crawford and presented the award after remarks by Crawford’s minister and a close friend.
Reverend Jennie Wilson, of Oxford United Methodist Church, compared Crawford to the wise man who built his house on the rock. Wilson said Crawford was a solid rock of faith and that he did hard, honest work. She also said he had a spirit of generosity and was a model for and lived the word of God, taking care of things without fanfare.
Crawford’s friend Bill Edwards, past president of the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce and former lobbyist in the telephone industry, grew close to Crawford after their paths crossed in Raleigh in and around the state legislative building.
Edwards pointed out in the printed program the many activities that Crawford continues to be involved in at age 80 – Vance- Granville Community College Foundation Board, Granville Medical Center Foundation Board, North Carolina Turnpike Authority, Oxford Zoning Board of Adjustment, Granville County Historical Society president, and trustee of Oxford United Methodist Church.
Jim Crawford (right) is presented the George Rose Watkins, Sr. Citizen of the Year award by George Watkins (middle)
Among his many accomplishments, Crawford has served as an operations officer in the US Navy, worked as a cost accountant at Harriet & Henderson Cotton Mill, was founder of Vance Academy and served as president for 13 years, served for 28 years in the North Carolina General Assembly and started Crawford Properties that currently boasts 60 tenants.
Edwards said Crawford would help anybody who needs assistance, “Jim is what I call a true friend – people who expect a great deal of each other but never have to ask for it.”
Edwards also said Crawford is a star, “you know he’s there even if you can’t see him.”
In response, Crawford replied, “Thank you all for the wonderful things you’ve said. It’s been an interesting life and a lot of fun.”
He also said this is “too much of a tribute for what I’ve done in this world. I’ve enjoyed working with people, and I’ve enjoyed so much being a part of the community. I look around this room and I see so many people who have done so much for us, Granville, Vance, Warren Counties. … This is the Promised Land. When you throw that little rock in the pool and the big circle comes out, it comes out around the Research Triangle, and we’re in that first circle, and we’re going to do great things, and we’ve got to get ready for what’s coming our way. I appreciate what you’ve done tonight and thank you for giving to the Boy Scouts.”
The dinner itself was a fundraiser for the local Boy Scouts organization.
Past recipients of the Citizen of the Year award include George Rose Watkins, Sr., the late former Mayor Robert Gill “Chick” Young, Jr., former Mayor James D. “Pete” O’Geary and Thomas C. (Tom) Church Jr.