Gift of Longtime Professor Maria Luisa Crawford ’60 Supports Women in Geology

The National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) recently received a substantial gift from the estates of longtime, beloved geology professors Maria Luisa "Weecha" Crawford ’60 and William Crawford.

The nearly $1 million gift marks the culmination of the Crawfords' support of the organization. Half of the gift will go toward its Scholarships for Field Study, including the eponymous Crawford Field Camp Scholarship, founded in 2013, which NAGT administers along with the Association for Women Geoscientists. The other half is unrestricted and will help the organization maintain its programming and operations.

"Maria Luisa Crawford was a phenomenal geoscientist, educator, and mentor," the NAGT wrote on its website, noting Crawford's strong interest in promoting the participation of women in geoscience. That led Crawford to find ways to support women in pursuing geoscience and careers in academia, including through the field scholarship program.

Crawford earned numerous accolades for her work, including a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 1993. She received the 1988 Outstanding Educator Award from the Association for Women Geoscientists, the 1988 National Science Foundation Visiting Professorship, and the McPherson Award for Excellence. Her career at Bryn Mawr spanned 41 years, during which she served as chair of the Department of Geology and was instrumental in founding the Environmental Studies Program. 

"We are incredibly grateful for Maria Luisa Crawford's work," the organization wrote, "both her and her husband's long-running support of NAGT, and the gifts from their trusts that will ensure her lasting legacy of helping geoscience students get into the field and pursue careers as geoscientists and geoscience educators."