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2006 Members of the Month
June 2006 Member of the Month Joan Crawford
Although Joan and Bill Crawford had both
been active in water activities for much of their lives and had spent
summers at Deep Creek Lake for ten years, they had never done much
sailing before they joined the Yacht Club in 1964. Bill grew up in
California and played water polo in high school and at Stanford. Joan
grew up in Pittsburgh and swam on her high school team and at New Jersey
beaches during summer vacations. They met during WW II in the Norfolk
Navy Yard where Joan was a WAVE disbursing officer and Bill was an
engineering officer on an LST just back from the war in Europe. Five
months later they were married and eventually settled in Pittsburgh
where Bill became a purchasing engineer for the steel industry and where
their daughters, Susie and Mike, were born.
From Pittsburgh they
vacationed at Lake Erie each summer, until they found Deep Creek in
1954. Bill soon became
Aboat driver-in-chief@
as he spent hours every Saturday in their ski boat pulling the girls,
their cousins, friends, the Moran boys, and assorted Girl Scouts on
skis. They joined the Deep Creek Water Ski Club that put on ski shows
in which the girls performed every season.
While Susie and Mike were
in high school, Joan took their senior Girl Scout troop to Mystic, CT
for the Mariner Sailing program. The first year they learned the
fundamentals of sailing on Dyer Dhows, and the second summer, ten girls
and Joan were the crew of the Brilliant, a 70 foot schooner, as they
sailed over to Block Island, down around Long Island Sound, and back.
They were Ahooked.@
When Bill and Joan met Sandy Douglass and bought FS 593 (Hoot Mon) on
the same day in 1964 that Jim Wallace bought FS 594, they knew that
their daughters would be the sailors.
Susie and Mike learned
racing tactics by copying the tacts and moves of Ed Gibbs who taught
them by having them follow him. The two girls took turns skippering the
two races on Saturdays, with the one who did better being skipper on
Sunday. Apparently the crew did not always agree with the skipper
because Ed told Joan after one race that he never heard so much thunder
coming from one sailboat.
Bill and Joan chaired the
social committee during the mid-1960=s
when things were in limbo before the club was purchased from Harry Muma.
Bill always helped with the dock push and dock pull, and when Joan
realized how cold and hungry the work crew would get on those days, she
decided to have a Mulligan Stew for them. Bill brought their huge cast
iron kettle that hung from a tripod over an open fire. Early in the day
they had the fire going, the water boiling, and the stew beef cooking.
Everyone was told to bring vegetables, cleaned and cut up, ready to
throw into the pot. Joan stood by with seasonings and a long wooden
stirrer. By the time the docks were in or out, the stew was ready to
eat.
Another tradition they
started about that time was the crab feast. Their friend Charlie Moran
agreed to have one of his truck drivers pick up several bushels of crabs
at the docks in Baltimore. Joan kept them iced in their outdoor
basement over night and brought them to the club on their float boat.
Other memorable events were picnics on the lawn with water balloon
games, the shipwreck party, scavenger hunt by sailboat, and moonlight
sails. Joan helped John Grant and Cindy Stacy write and publish the
club history for the 50th Anniversary in 1987 and wrote the
introduction to the supplemental history published by Willie Rissell in
2001.
After Bill and Joan moved to Deep Creek in
1972, Joan began teaching at Garrett College and Bill became involved with
real estate and many community organizations. Their daughters were still
pursuing their education
B Susie at law school in Boston, and Mike in a doctoral program at
WVU. For a few years, Hoot Mon swung on her mooring and didn=t
do
much sailing. Then, shortly after the July 4th 1976
bicentennial, they had their own fireworks display when #593 was struck by
lightning and burned to a charred shell on its mooring.
While the Hoot Mon is no
longer around, there are two Flying Scots in the family - #7
ABen My Chree@
owned by daughter Susie (Judge Susie Crawford) and her husband Roger
Higgins, and #1818 AOquossoc
Doc@ owned by
daughter Mike (Dr. Mikal Crawford) and her husband Dr. John Lowe.
Susie and Roger live in Virginia, have a cottage at Deep Creek, and are Yacht
Club members. Mike and John are in Frostburg where she is a Professor at
Frostburg State University and he is Dean of Student Development; they visit
Deep Creek frequently for day sailing. Joan attends many club events and
always provides a helpful hand.
July 2006 Member of
the Month – Al and Jean Thagard
Al and Jean Thagard were
introduced to Deep Creek Lake and the Yacht Club in the early 1980s by
John and Merrily Clark and joined the Club in 1984. Initially they crewed
for Merrily on FS1141, the Red Baron, and BobYonke. They purchased FS2990
about that time and sailed at the end of the “B” Fleet for quite a while.
With the help of numerous pros including John Meredith, Bill Lovett, Al
Riebel and Dick Gregory their skill level improved in the 1990s and they
now sail in the Masters fleet.
Jean was born in West Virginia and earned her RN at McMillan Hospital in
Charleston. Al is from Massachusetts. Through mutual friends, Al and Jean
met in West Virginia where they both were working -- Jean was a county
health nurse and Al was a metallurgist at an aluminum plant across the
river in Ohio. Their principal leisure activities then were boating and
skiing on the river. After several years, they moved to Pittsburgh where
their three children were born. Al worked for Westinghouse and Jean
continued her education and worked in public health.
Both of them have been involved in hosting numerous social activities at
the Club every year since 1984. Jean has been the social chairperson on
several occasions and brunch chairperson at other times. Al was on the
Racing committee until the early 1990s serving as the scorer. Al also
served on the Club board of directors as docks person and club secretary.
Jean is currently on the board and is house chairperson. Al and Jean said
that they have met many great people and have gained wonderful friends
through their association with the Yacht Club. Their children came here
from their early teen years through adulthood. Al and Jean sailed in the
Wife Husband Regatta when it was held at Deep Creek Lake on a cold winter
June weekend. They also had many interesting work days helping Harry
Filmyer and his dog Pepper on the construction of the Club addition.
Daughter
Susan with husband Andy and children Augie and Greta are members of the
Club. Their son Bob with wife Jennifer and children Julius and Erin live
in Pittsburgh and have been guests at the Club. Son Jim, his wife Wendy
and children Byrdie and Elin live in Michigan. Byrdie will be attending
sailing school this summer.
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