Donaldson, Crawford
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Donaldson, Crawford
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Crawford Donaldson worked as a janitor at Davidson College for several decades beginning in the Jim Crow era.
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Crawford Donaldson was born on June 12, 1892 in Iredell County, North Carolina to Marion and Emma Donaldson. Prior to working at Davidson College, Crawford Donaldson for worked nearly two decades as a farmhand. Eventually, he began working for Davidson College as a custodian, and worked primarily in the Martin Chemical Laboratory, Dana Science Laboratory, and Library. His work in these esteemed sections of the college indicate the high degree of trust bestowed upon him by the Davidson faculty and administration. While there is little information on his history of formal education, by all accounts Crawford Donaldson was a highly intelligent man. During his tenure at Davidson, he demonstrated a number of technical skills as a plumber and electrician and often delivered mail between the college and the Post Office. Despite his long tenure of service, the Davidsonian obituary failed to properly address the breadth of his work and influence on the college, his family, and community. Notwithstanding, he was a deeply rooted family man and was married to Lela Patterson Donaldson who worked as a domestic servant in the Davidson area. Together, Lela and Crawford had 10 children. Today, many of their great grandchildren continue to live in or around the Davidson area. Crawford was eventually buried in the Bethel AME Cemetery in Cornelius, NC in April of 1990.
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June 12, 1892
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April 7, 1990
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"Honored For Long Service,” The Gazette, August 27, 1953, 1.
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“Tribute To A Janitor,” The Davidsonian, February 10, 1956, 4.
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"Mr. Crawford Donaldson," The Charlotte Observer, April 11, 1990.
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