Duward L. (known as Pete) Crow (June 26, 1919 - October 29, 1997) was born in Fort Payne, AL. In 1937 he received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY, graduating in 1941.
During World War II, he was assigned to the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations in May 1942. For three and one-half years he served in various air depot assignments in support of air operations over "the Hump" and in Burma. He became group commander of the Southern India Air Depot, a unit associated with Hindustan Aircraft Limited, one of the largest aircraft materiel support facilities outside the United States. He worked with both Indian and British units to assure unified support of Allied operations.
In September 1945 General Crow was assigned to Army Air Forces Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he served in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel. He attended the Army Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., from February to May 1946.
He graduated in March 1948 with a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University He was assigned as a member of the Munitions Board, Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he worked on various mobilization planning studies and on measures to improve defense-wide procurement and supply practices.
In July 1952 he went to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to serve in Headquarters Air Materiel Command as chief of the Plans and Programs Division.
General Crow was assigned to the Fifth Air Force in Korea in 1954 where he served as deputy comptroller and comptroller. He returned to the United States later that year to serve as comptroller for the Central Air Defense Force.
In 1958 General Crow graduated from the Air War College. In June 1958 he became deputy chief of the Plans and Programs Division, Directorate of Budget, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, and in 1960 became deputy director of budget. In February 1963 he was named Comptroller for the Air Force Systems Command.
He returned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force in November 1964 as director of budget and in March 1969 was appointed the comptroller of the Air Force with collateral duty as chairman, Board of Directors, Army/Air Force Exchange Service.
General Crow was appointed assistant vice chief of staff, U.S. Air Force, Oct. 1, 1973. He retired from the U.S. Air Force on August 1, 1974. Following retirement and until 1978 General Crow worked at NASA headquarters as the Associate Administrator and Assistant to the Deputy Administrator. He later worked as a private consultant and served on the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Fort Sam Houston.
Papers include personal and business letters, biographical material, an oral history transcript conducted by the Air Force Historical Research Agency, speech transcripts, personal and official Air Force photographs, clippings, writings, DVDs, awards, and a scrapbook compiled by General Crow’s sister, Louis Van Allen. Typed transcripts of the letters found in the scrapbook are located in box 2008-245/2.
Forms part of the Institute for Studies in American Military History.
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Duward L. Crow Papers, 1930-1998, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.