Top Tennessee Historian at UofM for Six Decades

Crawford celebrates 60 years at the UofM focusing on Oral History research.

Dr. Charles W. Crawford, professor in the Department of History and director of the Oral History Research Office at The University of Memphis, was honored with the Career Milestone Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 Career Milestone Awards Ceremony in honor of his 60 years of employment at the University.

Crawford came to the UofM in 1962 as an assistant professor and in 1967, he was appointed to establish and lead the University’s Oral History Project. In his role as an educator, he has successfully directed 38 doctoral dissertations and 61 master’s theses.

As director of the Oral History Research Office, he has conducted or supervised the completion of more than 2,000 oral history interviews dealing with historical and biographical topics throughout the Mid-South area. Crawford was the first person from a southern institution to be elected president of the international professional association, the Oral History Association, and has participated in scholarly programs on oral history throughout the United States and in several foreign countries.

Locally, his awards include Distinguished Teaching Award of The University of Memphis and the Meritorious Faculty Award of the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as civic and community honors. He is often consulted by other authors, reporters from all media, and film and television producers to provide commentary and background on aspects of the history of Memphis and Tennessee.

His class, "Oral History," is taught at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He also teaches two graduate research seminars: "Thematic Studies in American History" and "Research Seminar in State and Local History." Crawford’s publications include reviews, articles, and twenty books — all of which have dealt with the history of Tennessee or Memphis. One of his books, Tennessee Land, History, and Government, as well as a newer edition, Dynamic Tennessee, has been used as a textbook by most of the children in Tennessee's schools since the 1980s.

Click here to view the Career Milestones ceremony >>

For more information on Crawford and his work with the university, contact him at cwcrwfrd@memphis.edu.