Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Lawton Crosby |
Description |
Lawton Crosby arrived in Lake Bluff at age two when his parents, John Bremer Crosby and Mattie Alene Johnson, moved the family into Rosa West's house on Center and Gurney in 1914. Rosa West was a vital figure to the establishment of East School, in fact, the house the Crosbys moved into was built with the same red brick, foundation, and stone lintels as East School. Lawton Crosby enjoyed his childhood in Lake Bluff, being apart of the "Silk Stocking Gang" playing in the ravines. He recalls the old lamplighter maintaining the gas street lamps, gravel roads, the fire"truck" which was really a wagon pulled by men, and Gypsies who passed through during the warm months. Lawton Crosby received his collegiate education at Northwestern University and worked at Abbott Labs after school. He was an incredibly smart man securing 27 patents, one of which is a type of spring still used in furniture today. He served the Navy for 39 years as Lt. Commander. In 1979, after putting in much time and effort, Lawton Crosby established the Lake Bluff Open Lands Association in order to protect the beautiful wetlands in the area. Lawton Crosby, a "living treasure", was known to the community as a caring, passionate, and respectful man, deserving him a local Lifetime Achievement award. In the 1995 Lake Bluff Parade, he was invited to be the Grand Marshall. Lawton Crosby lived at 403 East Center Avenue Lake Bluff Open Lands newsletter honoring Lawton Crosby. Print out of Lawton Crosby's obituary from a 2000 Lake Forester. Copy of a December 1914 Lake Bluff Chat announcing the birth of a Boy to Mr. and Mrs J. B. Crosby in the section "This and That." Copy of a May 1914 newspaper announcing Mr. and Mrs J. B. Crosby moving into Rosa West's house. Copy of a 1948 Chicago Daily Tribune article announcing Lawton Crosby's divorce and settlement. Brief single page biography on John B. Crosby, mentioning his son Lawton. "Suggested List for Basis of 'Cardinal' Kitchen Needs" - A plan and list Lawton's sister, Alice, created for the establishment of The Cardinal in 1925. Essay written by Hildegard Crosby in 1938 about "the document as art." Interview transcription with Hildegard explaining her Lake Bluff days from her childhood to WW 2. (pages "8 - 15") Unused stationary with the official Crosby - Chicago Advertising heading. Two copies of declassified documents on a ship Lawton commanded - The U.S.S Brister. 4 grantor and grantee documents. Collection of newspaper clippings scanned onto a single sheet of paper regarding Mayor of Chicago, "Big Bill" Thompson's, sailing yacht made out of tide-water cyprus, lumber in which John Crosby advertised. A letter to Kathy O'Hara from Cathy Spencer regarding Crosby's lost writing on the four trail trees that led to the ravine. Two obituaries for Crosby, one from the Lake Forester, the other an excerpt from the 2001 Fourth of July Program book. |
Caption |
Lawton Crosby |
People |
Crosby, Lawton Crosby, John Crosby, Hildegard West, Rosa Crosby, Alice |
Search Terms |
403 E Center Ave Lake Bluff Open Lands Association LBOLA Silk Stocking Gang Local Inventors Inventor Navy Veterans Abbott Labs Newspapers World War 2 WW 2 |
Collection |
Personalities |
Object Name |
Documents |
Object ID |
Doc 576 |