Name/Title
Gordon, Crawford (Jr.)Entry/Object ID
8323Description
Born in Winnipeg 26 Dec 1914, during the war years Crawford worked under C.D. Howe and joined Avro Canada 15 Oct 1951 as President and General Manager to help with problems related to the CF-100. Went to California in 1952 to try marketing the Jetliner with Huges Aircraft. Involved in restructuring which creates Orenda as a separate company and was also involved in Avro purchasing a number of companies including Canada Car and Foundry and Canadian Steel Improvement Ltd where he was appointed Director of multiple A.V. Roe Canada Ltd companies in 1954 including Orenda. Host of first 10 yr awards dinner 1955. When Fred T. Syme was appointed President in the summer of 1956, Crawford was positioned to continue as Chairman of the Board (as reported in the Sept/1956 Canadian Aviation magazine though it is unknown if the change occurred or was for a short period only.). At the roll-out was listed in the Avro Newsmagazine that Fred T. Syme was Executive Vice President, Aeronautical Division of A.V. Roe Canada, J.L. Plant was President and GM for Avro Aircraft and Crawford Gordon was President and GM of A.V. Roe Canada Ltd. Appointed to Hawker Siddely board - 1958. Appointed as head of the Industiral Foundation on Education - 1958. Met with John Diefenbaker before cancellation of the Arrow project and is described as being furious in confronting Diefenbaker before Arrow cancellation. As company president, it was Crawford who received the notificatin of the Arrow cancellation on Black Friday. Avro President A V Roe Canada Limited living at Todmorden in the 1959 Might's Greater Toronto Directory. He resigned from Avro on July 2, 1959. After Black Friday, Crawford's life also went downhill - his net worth rapidly disapeared and on 26 Jan 1967 he died in New York City from liver failure likely brought on from his years of heavy drinking.