Learning Center Our Enshrinees

Frederick Coolidge Crawford

• Earned his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Harvard in 1913, then pursued his graduate degree in the Harvard School of Applied Sciences.
• Enlisted in the U.S. Navy Aviation Corps and was studying at the ground school in aviation when the armistice that ended the war was signed.
• In 1933, Crawford became president of Thompson Products which developed a valve that could run 300 hours in an aircraft engine without overheating and was used on the famous Spirit of St. Louis.
• Crawford helped organize the National Air Race Corporation in 1929 and convinced Thompson Products to sponsor the Thompson Trophy, the most sought after aviation trophy.
• Dedicated to the preservation of aviation history and opened the Thompson Auto Album and Aviation Museum in Cleveland.
• Under his leadership, Thompson Products were able to solve many aviation problems during World War II and the Korean War.