By Todd Wilkinson with contribution by Tracy Ellig of Montana State University
Tim Crawford always had a soft spot for underdogs because there were times in his own life when he confronted challenges involving seemingly insurmountable odds of achieving success. Along with trying to protect wildlife (which he regarded as the ultimate underdogs) and the habitat animals need to survive, Crawford believed in the power of bringing people with a wide range of individual talents together and harnessing the sum of that knowledge and passion for greater good.
He often would note that not everyone starts from the same place, but by having a friendly helping hand available at pivotal moments, those with fewer advantages can rise to achieve outcomes that better not only themselves but in ways that benefit society and future generations.
“You never know who is going to change the world for the better. All a student may need is a chance,” he said one afternoon as we walked through the Gallatin Valley. “I’ve seen transformation happen over and over again and it’s powerful to witness—those who felt they were being sold short but then proved their doubters wrong.”
After a pause, he added with a wry smile, “Let’s put faith in younger generations, but let’s also point out there’s no retirement age any of us reach when we sit back and stop trying to make a positive difference. That’s part of being a good citizen.”
“You never know who is going to change the world for the better. All a student may need is a chance. I’ve seen transformation happen over and over again and it’s powerful to witness—those who felt they were being sold short but then proved their doubters wrong.”
—the late Tim Crawford
Tim passed away on October 29, 2022. Now roughly two years later, his surviving widow, Kathy, and Montana State University have announced a $30 million gift from the couple, the largest scholarship endowment in university history. The fund will help students from multiple disciplines advance innovative thinking about wildlife habitat protection.
Both Kathy and Tim credited early exposure to the natural world for firing their passion for nature. The endowment they’ve established will support the Crawford Wildlife Habitat Scholarships. It is expected to generate $1.2 million annually in scholarship funds and will aid both undergraduate and graduate students.
“Tim and I shared a deep love for Montana. He cherished its natural heritage, the legacy of public wildlife, and he had a special place in his heart for rural people and stewardship that can take many forms,” Kathy says. “He was always grateful for the sense of purpose outdoor experiences gave him in his life. For both of us, we saw hope for the future expressed in the desire of young people wanting to make a positive difference in protecting natural lands.”
Under the guidelines of the Crawfords’ gift, students from any and all of the university’s colleges or departments are invited to apply for a scholarship, be they pursuing degrees in arts, sciences or humanities.
“This is a transformative gift for MSU students in this field. It will have a lasting impact on generations to come,” said MSU President Waded Cruzado. “I am deeply moved by the Crawfords’ generosity, and it is bittersweet that Tim will not be here to meet the students whose lives will be changed thanks to this endowment.”
President Cruzado and Crawford, who earlier, as Dr. Kathy Hansen, served as a professor in the MSU Earth Sciences Department, said the scholarships will help bolster the university’s existing depth of faculty, research, teaching, creative activities, policy and outreach to support broader thinking about better conserving Montana’s wildlife and its habitat.
“A transformational characteristic of the Crawfords’ gift is that it will create and bring together a community of students from traditional, as well as new and unexpected, areas, such as engineering, nursing, business, education, art, architecture, and history. It will fuel an interdisciplinary dialogue and a cross-pollination of ideas that will inspire fresh, innovative solutions.” said Robert Mokwa, MSU provost and executive vice president of Academic Affairs.
Indeed, on the long dinner table at their home north of Belgrade not far from the East Gallatin River, Tim and Kathy often had stacks of things they poured over—new books of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, scientific studies, essays from a variety of magazines, including hunting, farming, ranching, fishing and fine art journals, and, notably, new prints of photographs taken by Tim.
“Tim and I shared a deep love for Montana. He cherished its natural heritage, the legacy of public wildlife, and he had a special place in his heart for rural people and stewardship that can take many forms. He was always grateful for the sense of purpose outdoor experiences gave him in his life. For both of us, we saw hope for the future expressed in the desire of young people wanting to make a positive difference in protecting natural lands.”
—Dr. Kathy Hansen Crawford
They themselves were exponents of staying educated and drawing inspiration from a wide range of perspectives. For a few decades, Tim assembled an extraordinary collection of images he composed of the Gallatin Valley, capturing sunrises over the Bridgers and sunsets over the distant Tobacco Roots and Spanish Peaks, often with wildlife as reference points.
As a reflection of the Crawfords’ hope to reach every corner of campus, MSU students who are engaged or interested in conducting research and educational or creative activities that focus on conserving wildlife habitat are encouraged to apply.
“The Crawford Wildlife Habitat Scholarships will serve as life-changing gifts for student scholarship recipients,” said Fran Albrecht, president, and CEO of the MSU Alumni Foundation. “Tim and Kathy Crawford’s passion for wildlife habitat protection will bring a legacy of impact to students’ lives, our state, and the world.”
Central to the Crawfords’ ethos is the belief that scholarships can give students a crucial boost during their impressionable time in academia, and it is the intent that their gift foster thinking that can be applied to real-world challenges.
As Kathy notes, the couple believed that the kind of land ethic—as articulated by Aldo Leopold—is the essence of legacy.
“Bozeman has long had a ‘town-to-gown’ relationship with MSU, and I hope the scholarships will create opportunities for students and their advisers to share insights they divine with the larger community. This is part of the spirit of living in a great university town,” Crawford said. In the future, one desired outcome, she noted, is that each year’s scholarship recipients make free public presentations of their work at the Tim Crawford Theater in the Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture, in Bozeman.
During his life, Tim Crawford conserved wildlife habitat as a business entrepreneur, hunter, angler, farmer, nature photographer, writer, and former city commissioner in Ketchum, Idaho.
He was a fixture along Main Street in downtown Bozeman, being the first decades ago to renovate a historic building, together with Kathy modernizing the Crawford Theatre in the Emerson Center for the Arts, helping to protect the Emerson lawn from development, and supporting an array of groups such as HRDC devoted to helping food- and housing-challenged citizens and, of course, an array of conservation efforts, including the Gallatin Valley Land Trust. Tim also took portraits of a number of Gallatin Valley farmers and ranchers and some of those images hang on the wall of Open Range restaurant in Bozeman.
MSU will be posting information on how interested students can apply for the Crawford Scholarships and Fellowships.
A Few Photos by the Late Tim Crawford of Passing Seasons in the Gallatin Valley (Bridger Range in Background)
