From collection Person List
Dr. Ernest Stanley Crawford was born on a farm in Conecuh County, Alabama on May 12, 1922. His parents instilled self-reliance and initiative in the young man, who became an avid sportsman and particularly enjoyed hunting, at which he became adept. He was also an excellent student, and matriculated at the University of Alabama, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1943.
Crawford was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Navy after Pearl Harbor, although he remained at the University of Alabama. He entered medical school at his home state school as well but, after two years, transferred to Harvard, from which he graduated Alpha Omega Alpha in 1946. After an internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Crawford served as a lieutenant at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, N.H., from 1947 to 1949. Immediately after finishing his tour of duty Dr. Crawford married Caroline Easter, another Alabamian. He then returned to Boston to complete his surgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1954.
Under the guidance of his mentor, Dr. Edward Churchill, Dr. Crawford opted to return to the south and join Dr. Michael E. DeBakey at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he spent the next 38 years on the faculty. Under DeBakey, Baylor became an internationally-recognized center for cardiovascular surgery, and Dr. Crawford was one of its shining lights.
Dr. Crawford became known worldwide for his innovative surgical techniques in the treatment of complex aortic diseases, earning a reputation as a master technician. His classification system for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms became the standard. In addition, Dr. Crawford contributed mightily to the world literature on these diseases, authoring more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. He also co-authored, with his surgeon son Dr. John Lloyd Crawford, II, a classic textbook, Disease of the Aorta.
Dr. Crawford became an eminent leader in American and world surgery, holding presidencies of the Society for Vascular Surgery (1987-88), the International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery (1981-82), and the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery (1979-80). His interest in the impact of socioeconomic and research issues on the world of vascular surgery led to the designation of the E. Stanley Crawford Critical Issues Forum at the Vascular Annual Meeting.
Dr. Crawford was, unfortunately, a famously inveterate and recalcitrant smoker, especially renowned for his Picayune cigarettes. He suffered a disabling stroke in January, 1991, which ended his professional career. Dr. Crawford did not, however, give up hunting, and continued to pursue this pastime with a specially-rigged .410 “snake charmer” shotgun that he could operate with one arm.
E. Stanley Crawford passed away at his home in Houston on October 27, 1992.
Crawford was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Navy after Pearl Harbor, although he remained at the University of Alabama. He entered medical school at his home state school as well but, after two years, transferred to Harvard, from which he graduated Alpha Omega Alpha in 1946. After an internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Crawford served as a lieutenant at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, N.H., from 1947 to 1949. Immediately after finishing his tour of duty Dr. Crawford married Caroline Easter, another Alabamian. He then returned to Boston to complete his surgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1954.
Under the guidance of his mentor, Dr. Edward Churchill, Dr. Crawford opted to return to the south and join Dr. Michael E. DeBakey at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he spent the next 38 years on the faculty. Under DeBakey, Baylor became an internationally-recognized center for cardiovascular surgery, and Dr. Crawford was one of its shining lights.
Dr. Crawford became known worldwide for his innovative surgical techniques in the treatment of complex aortic diseases, earning a reputation as a master technician. His classification system for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms became the standard. In addition, Dr. Crawford contributed mightily to the world literature on these diseases, authoring more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. He also co-authored, with his surgeon son Dr. John Lloyd Crawford, II, a classic textbook, Disease of the Aorta.
Dr. Crawford became an eminent leader in American and world surgery, holding presidencies of the Society for Vascular Surgery (1987-88), the International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery (1981-82), and the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery (1979-80). His interest in the impact of socioeconomic and research issues on the world of vascular surgery led to the designation of the E. Stanley Crawford Critical Issues Forum at the Vascular Annual Meeting.
Dr. Crawford was, unfortunately, a famously inveterate and recalcitrant smoker, especially renowned for his Picayune cigarettes. He suffered a disabling stroke in January, 1991, which ended his professional career. Dr. Crawford did not, however, give up hunting, and continued to pursue this pastime with a specially-rigged .410 “snake charmer” shotgun that he could operate with one arm.
E. Stanley Crawford passed away at his home in Houston on October 27, 1992.
