Roy Crawford

Master Teacher Award - Spring 1984

Roy Crawford was born on June 6, 1933 in Saskatoon. He completed a BSA in Poultry Husbandry at the University of Saskatchewan in 1955 and received a M.Sc. in Animal Genetics from Cornell University in 1957. From 1957 until 1964, Dr. Crawford was a Research Officer in Agriculture Canada with postings in Ottawa, Charlottetown and Kentville. During this period he returned to school and received a PhD in Poultry Genetics from the University of Massachusetts in 1963. In 1964, Dr. Crawford accepted the position of Professor of Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan, a position he held until he retired June 30, 1991.

Dr. Crawford made major contributions to Poultry Science through his excellent teaching and unselfish devotion to his students. He taught in the areas of poultry genetics, breeding and husbandry, but has also made significant contributions in teaching introductory animal science and animal genetics courses. The quality of his teaching has been recognized on various occasions. He received the first Professor of the Year Award from the College of Agriculture in 1977, and was also named the first University of Saskatchewan Master Teacher in 1984. On two occasions, Dr. Crawford was named Professor of the Year in the College of Veterinary Medicine. In 1981, Dr. Crawford was presented with the Ralston Purina Teaching Award by the Poultry Science Association. Another indication of Dr. Crawford's teaching skills is the large number of ex-students who are now leaders in Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine and Academia. Dr. Crawford also took a leadership role in providing academic counseling to Agriculture students.

Despite the heavy responsibility of teaching, Dr. Crawford has made significant contributions in a number of research and academic areas. He has published over 60 papers in refereed journals, and has presented or been a co-author on a similar number of papers at scientific meetings. His publications are in the area of poultry genetics and breeding, but also include other disciplines as well as species. One of his most important contributions is the discovery of a mutation which causes epileptiform seizures in chickens. This mutation is an important animal model in the study of the grand mal form of epilepsy in humans. Upon the request of Poultry Science Association, in 1989/90 Dr. Crawford edited and wrote five chapters in "Poultry Breeding and Genetics," the first comprehensive review of this topic since F.B. Hung published "Genetics of the Fowl" in 1949. This text is already considered a classic contribution to our knowledge of Poultry Science. Dr. Crawford's publications are widely known for their attention to detail and his excellent writing ability.

Dr. Crawford is a world leader in the area of animal genetic conservation. In 1968, he published the first catalogue of poultry stocks held at teaching and research institutions in Canada and subsequently continued to publish this document on an annual basis until 1981. Thereafter, the catalogue was included in the document "Research Animals in Canada" which is produced in cooperation with the Canadian Council on Animal Care. Dr. Crawford completed a survey of all poultry stocks in Canada in 1979. On an international basis, Dr. Crawford has been an active member of the FAQ/UNEP Expert panel on Genetic Resources Conservation and has lectured extensively on the philosophy and technical aspects of germ plasm preservation including the World's Poultry Science Association invited lecture at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the Poultry Science Association. Currently, he is a member of an adhoc planning committee for Rare Breeds International, a new organization for global coordination of work of national rare breeds conservation groups, and an executive member of the American Minor Breeds Conservancy.

Dr. Crawford is a member of a number of scientific organizations and was named a Fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada in 1986 and the Poultry Science Association in 1991. Roy retires with Professor Emeritus status.