Andy Crawford

Andrew Crawford Deceased Oct 2, 2001 in Ann Arbor, MI Age 59, died October 2, 2001 in his sleep, at home with his family present. He waged a courageous battle for 5 years against myelofibrosis and for the last month, against acute myelocytic leukemia.

Just a few of the many qualities that defined this special man include: generosity of spirit, passion for work, family and life, love of ideas, talent for developing deep and lasting relation ships, ability to lead and inspire, and his enduring sense of optimism.

Andy was born on March 14, 1942 in Worcester, MA. He completed his BS in industrial and operations engineering (IOE) at the U of M in 1964, where he was a member of Al pha Tau Omega (ATO) fraternity, worked as Business Manager for the Michigan Daily, and was Vice President of Michiga mua. After receiving his MBA at the Harvard Business School in 1966, he returned to Ann Arbor and started Ascott, a company which specializes in custom t- shirts and other imprinted garments. He viewed himself as a seventh-generation entrepreneur. At every stage, he was interested in new technology and innovative marketing, and he was recognized in the industry for his visionary ideas.

Over the past 15 years, he spent an increasing amount of time teaching and mentoring stu dents at the U of M. In 1987, he developed a course in Entrepreneurship and taught it, as well as other classes, in the IOE department until the time of his death. He was committed to developing student leaders and brought the LeaderShape program, an intensive leadership development program for undergraduate students, to the U of M campus.

As a result of his wife Karen's cancer diagnosis in 1993, he became interested in the process of patient decision-making. He worked with faculty in the School of Nursing on developing an interactive decision-support model to help newly-diagnosed women make effective, value-based treatment choices. In 1996, Andy was diagnosed with a rare blood disease and, as a result, devoted energy to finding ways to improve the quality of life for patients with chronic disease. This led to his involvement in the creation of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the U of M, which will open later this year. In addition, he founded a non-profit organization to shift dollars spent on heroic end-of-life measures, to providing essential health care for people in third world countries. Other important passions in Andy's life included playing water polo three times a week with the Flounders, studying the genealogy of the Crawford and Scott families, cooking and entertaining, and world travel.

He is survived by his beloved wife Karen, adored son Alex, both of Ann Arbor; his parents, Robert and Barbara Crawford of Erie, PA; his sisters Susan Wellman (Cy) of Edinboro, PA and Lucie Nisson (Larry) of Ann Arbor; and nieces and nephews Cynthia and Adam Wellman, Nicole and Steffen Werner and Michael Nisson.

Visitation with the family will be held at MUEHLIG'S FUNERAL CHAPEL in Ann Arbor on Fri day, October 5 from 2 pm to 4 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm. A memorial service to celebrate Andy's life will be held at the Power Center on the U of M campus on Monday, October 8 at 4 pm. Memorial contributions may be sent to Arbor Hospice at 2366 Oak Valley Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 or Michigan Leader Shape, UM Student Activities & Leadership, 2205 Michigan Union, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.