Percy B. Crawford and Ruth Crawford Porter Papers
Scope and Contents
Films, videos, audio tapes, correspondence, a book manuscript, sermon notes, and other materials documenting the evangelistic ministry of Percy and Ruth Crawford, particularly their radio and television work.
Dates
- Created: 1922-1989
Creator
- Crawford, Percy B. (Percy Bartimus) (Person)
Conditions Governing Use
Copyrights to the radio and television programs in this collection are held by The Young People's Church of the Air. Permission to copy these programs and use them must be secured from:
Donald B. Crawford, President
The Young People's Church of the Air
P.O. box 3003
Blue Bell, PA 19422
Please contact the BGC Archives for duplication permission forms and more information about duplication services.
Biographical or Historical Information
Full Name: Percy Bartimus Crawford
Birth Date: October 20, 1902, in Minnedosa, Manitoba, Canada
Death Date: October 31, 1960
Family:
Parents: Thomas and Margaret Crawford
Siblings: Alphonse
Marital Status: Married to Ruth Marjorie (Duvall) Crawford, September 18, 1933 at Pinebrook Camp in Pennsylvania
Children: Donald Bruce (1937), Richard Torrey (1939), Dan (1941), Dean(1944), Donna Lee (1949)
Conversion: September 23, 1923, at the Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles during a sermon by Bill "Willie" Nicholson
Education:
1922-1923 Attended and graduated from a college preparatory program at the Oregon Institute of Technology, Portland, Oregon, which was run by the Young Men's Christian Association
1923-1926 Attended and graduated from BIOLA (Bible Institute of Los Angeles)
1926 Enrolled in the University of California, Southern Branch
1927 Transferred to Wheaton College, Illinois
1929 Graduated from Wheaton College
1929-1932 Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, B.TH. degree
1932 Received Masters degree in History from the University of Pennsylvania
Career:
Summer 1931 Began holding Saturday night evangelistic rallies at Barnes Memorial Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, rallies which were one of the models for Youth for Christ
1931 Began radio broadcasting Young People's Church of the Air in Philadelphia on station WIP
1931-? Held youth rallies along the eastern coast of the United States
1933 Opened Pinebrook Bible Camp in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Later he also started Shadowbrook (for boys) and Mountainbrook (for girls) camps
1938 Opened King's College in Belmar, New Jersey (property had been acquired in 1936). He continued as president until his death.
1938-1941 Founded and edited magazine, Young People Today
1941 King's College moved to an estate near New Castle, Delaware, due to the financial requirements of New Jersey for the recertification of educational institutions
1949 Youth on the March television program premiered on ABC on October 9. This was the first coast-to coast evangelistic program broadcast on television, aired on twenty-two stations
1951-1954 Founded and edited magazine, Youth on the March, The Christian Newsetter
1953-1954 World tour with Ruth Crawford and vocalists from Young People's Church of the Air
1953 Started King's Korean Mission
1955 King's College moved to Briarcliff Manor, New York
1957 Began Youtharama, a Saturday night rally for young people, in Philadelphia
1958? Started Christian television station WPCA in Philadelphia; acquired other stations in Detroit, Hammond (Indiana), Lancaster (Pennsylvania), Fort Lauderdale (Florida), and Forest Grove (Oregon)
**********
Full Name: Ruth Marjorie (Duvall) Crawford, later Ruth Crawford Porter
Birth Date: May 2, 1916
Death Date : October 28, 1986
Family:
Parents: Rezin Duvall and Nancy Viola Mc Donald Duvall
Siblings: Esther, R. Fenton, Bruce, William
Marital Status: Married Percy Crawford September 18, 1933 at Pinebrook Camp in Pennsylvania
Married: Dr. Robert Monroe Porter (chiropractor) in March 1966
Children: Donald Bruce (1937), Richard Torrey (1939), Dan (1941), Dean(1944), Donna Lee (1949)
Conversion: Date unknown, product of an evangelical Methodist home
Education: Completed 11th grade of high school in Collingswood, New Jersey
Career:
1931- Involved in Percy Crawford's ministry as pianist, songwriter, composer and remained the main influence on all musical aspects of the ministry Continued to be active as a songwriter and musician until her death. She compiled seventeen hymnals during her lifetime; produced several albums of Christian music (including her own compositions and arrangements); trained seven quartets; orchestrated and conducted orchestras for radio and television programs; orchestrated, arranged and led several choral groups, including the King's Singers; and played piano, organ, and harp at a professional level. She also was the main creative force behind the six-day-a-week devotional radio program, Pinebrook Praises. Following Percy Crawford's death in 1960, she continued Pinebrook Praises until ca. 1965 and traveled in an evangelistic ministry with her son Donald until ca. 1967. Published Sing My Heart (1962), Hearts in Harmony (1978), and Singing and Making Melodies (1983). With her sister Esther Eden, she for several years had a brief daily radio program entitled, Bible Women Speak Today.
Extent
1 document case
0.5 Linear Feet
5 other formats (Audio Tapes, Films, Phonograph Records, Photographs, Video Tapes)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement of Materials
[Note: In the arrangement description, the notation "folder 2-5" means box 2, folder 5.]
This collection consists of a variety of items about the work of Percy and Ruth Crawford collected from many different sources, but primarily the Crawford family. The arrangement was provided by the archivist.
Audio Tapes and Phonograph Records
Arrangement: Chronological
Date Range: 1951-1989
Volume: 19 tapes comprising approximately 10 hours of recording; 10 phonograph records
Geographic Coverage: Northeast United States
Type of Materials: Tapes of radio programs, interviews, a testimonial dinner, records of Christian music
Participants or Individuals Discussed: Dean Crawford, Donald Crawford, Percy Crawford, Ruth Crawford, Fred P. Davies, William Drury, Esther Eagan, Billy Graham, Torrey Johnson, Bob Jones, Carl McIntire, Steve Musto, John R. Rice, George Beverly Shea, Robert Straton, George Wesner, Jack Wyrtzen Subjects: American sermons, Bible, Bible-versions (King James, Revised Standard Version), conversion, evangelistic music, evangelistic sermons, hell, music, King's College, Pinebrook Camp, Pinebrook Praises, radio in evangelism, television in evangelism, salvation, sin, Young People's Church of the Air, Youth on the March
Notes: The Archives does not have the equipment to record and copy phonograph records P1 through P10. Therefore they cannot be described, beyond saying that they are recordings of the Crawfords' radio programs from the years 1946 through 1952.
T1 - Copies of two shows of the radio program Youth on the March. First program includes the sermon "Crucified." The second program includes the sermon "Weak in Christ." 1951.
T2-T6 contain a recording of a testimonial dinner held for Percy Crawford by the alumni association of King's College. Each individual tape is about thirty minutes long and overlaps slightly with the previous tape. Included on the tape is the drone of dinner conversation before the program, poems by Ruth Crawford and her sister Esther Eagan, stories by family, friends and co-workers about Crawford's childhood, college and seminary days, the beginning of the Young People's Church of the Air, his courtship and marriage of Ruth Duvall, evangelistic meetings, births of his children, start of Pinebrook Camp, founding of King's College, letters and telegrams from a variety of people who worked with him, including Torrey Johnson. Sound quality is often very bad. April 23, 1953.
Tapes T7, T9-T13, T19 contain various of Percy Crawford's radio programs, entitled Youth on the March or Pinebrook Praises. The format of the show usually included several musical numbers, reports of Percy's activities at Pinebrook or at evangelistic meetings, and a brief evangelistic sermon. 1951, 1954, ca. late 1950s-1960.
T8 Chapel sermon by Percy Crawford on King College's doctrinal statement. It is unclear if this address was to the entire school or just the faculty. Crawford gives a thumbnail history of King's College; describes the variety and size of his operations at that time in the college, camps, television, radio; describes his policies in his various organizations; responds to criticism; defends his view of hell and the Bible; talks about the value of the King James Version of the Bible over the Revised Standard Version; refers to his disagreements with Carl McIntire, John R. Rice, and Bob Jones. December 10, 1959.
Tapes T15-T16
Accruals and Additions
The materials in this collection were given to the Billy Graham Center Archives by many different individuals (but primarily members of the Crawford family) during the years 1981-1995.
Accession: 81-20, 81-121, 83-65, 84-69, 85-7, 85-42, 86-29, 86-100, 86-112, 87-37, 87-72, 87-111, 87-112, 87-130, 87-153, 87-162, 88-30, 88-33, 88-68, 88-102, 89-117, 91-75, 94-25, 94-37, 94-62, 95-126, 95-148, 99-46
April 26, 1999
Robert Shuster
R. Williams
July 9, 1999, updated
Robert Shuster
Accession 01-46
August 13, 2001
Robert Shuster
Accession 01-53
September 18, 2001
Robert Shuster
Accession 04-18
April 16, 2004
Robert Shuster
Accession 94-01
February 16, 2005
Christian Sawyer
Accessions 14-11, 14-15
May 9, 2014
Bob Shuster
- African Americans -- Religious life.
- Bible -- Versions.
- Children -- United States -- Conversion to Christianity.
- Christian education, Outdoor -- United States.
- Christian life -- Sermons.
- Church of the Open Door (Los Angeles, Calif.)
- Church work with youth -- United States.
- Conversion -- Christianity.
- Crawford, Donald Bruce, 1937-
- Dodds, Gilbert, 1918-
- Drury, William A.
- Dunlop, Merrill.
- Evangelicalism -- United States.
- Evangelistic invitations.
- Evangelistic sermons.
- Evangelistic work -- Biblical teaching.
- Evangelistic work -- Korea.
- Evangelistic work -- New York (State)
- Evangelistic work -- Pennsylvania.
- Evangelistic work -- Songs and music.
- Evangelistic work -- United States.
- Evans, Colleen Townsend, 1928-
- Faith -- Sermons.
- Fund raising.
- Fundamentalism.
- Gospel musicians.
- Graham, Billy, 1918-2018.
- Hamblen, Stuart, 1908-1989.
- Heaven -- Sermons.
- Hell -- Sermons.
- Johnson, Torrey Maynard, 1909-
- Jones, Bob, 1883-1968.
- Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Refugees.
- Loes, Harry Dixon.
- Loveless, Wendell P.
- Mass media in religion -- United States.
- McIntire, Carl, 1906-2002.
- Palermo, Louis.
- Pinebrook Bible Conference.
- Pinebrook praises (Radio program)
- Prodigal son (Parable) -- Sermons.
- Radio in religion -- United States.
- Rice, John R., 1895-1980.
- Rosell, Mervin E.
- Salvation -- Christianity -- Sermons.
- Sermons, American -- 20th century.
- Shea, George Beverly, 1909-2013.
- Sin -- Sermons.
- Storytelling -- United States.
- Television in religion -- United States.
- Thanksgiving Day sermons.
- Wilson, Ernie, 1911-1998.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Solomon Islands -- Guadalcanal Island.
- Wyrtzen, Jack, 1913-1996.
- Young People's Church of the Air.
- Youth for Christ/USA.
- Youth on the march (Radio program)
- Youth on the march (Television program)
Creator
- Crawford, Percy B. (Percy Bartimus) (Person)
- Porter, Ruth Crawford, 1916-1986. (Person)
- Title
- Collection 357 Papers of Percy Crawford and Ruth Crawford Porter
- Author
- Bob Shuster
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Evangelism & Missions Archives Repository