[ASA] Vale Dr David Crawford

[John O'Byrne]

To ASA Members,
The message below is to mark the passing of David Crawford, a long-time staff member at the University of Sydney until his retirement just over 20 years ago.  His name may not be well known to newer ASA members but he was a prominent and very longstanding member of the astrophysics group at Sydney.

David is one of a small group of ASA members who have been members for 50 or more years!  We would like to recognise his outstanding contribution to the Australian astronomical community and loyalty to the ASA.

Please note the details of the memorial service to be held in Sydney at 12pm on Friday this week.

If you would like further information, please contact David’s son James Crawford whose mobile number I can provide.


John



It is with great sadness that we pass on the news that a long-time colleague and friend, Dr David Crawford, passed away in late December. This notice will go to all in the School of Physics although many of David’s peers and friends are now long retired. Please pass this notice to any who may not receive this email directly.

David began his career at Sydney University in 1960 as a member of the Falkiner Nuclear Department, working on cosmic ray showers. He submitted his PhD thesis in 1965, titled “The electron structure of extensive air showers”. He then spent three years as a post-doctoral researcher at Cornell University, USA, working on the structure function and distribution of electron-proton cascades. David and his wife June had moved to Cornell University, along with several of his University colleagues, under the Cornell-Sydney University Astronomy Centre agreement brokered by Professors Harry Messel and Tom Gold.

On his return to Sydney in 1969, David joined the Astrophysics Department under Professor Bernard Mills and he continued there until his retirement in 2003. While in this group, he worked extensively in the field of cosmology, including on radio source counts, and developed many sophisticated software and analysis packages to process observations from the Molonglo Telescope. He was also a valued member of the School’s teaching staff.

David will be long remembered as a talented and innovative scientist and computer expert. He continued publishing papers after retirement and retained strong connections with colleagues from his time working on cosmic rays.

There will be a memorial service held in the Magnolia Chapel at the Macquarie Park Crematorium on Friday 10th January at 12pm. Friends and colleagues would be welcome to attend.

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"The standard you walk past is the standard you accept”
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ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JOHN O’BYRNE (he/him)
Secretary, Astronomical Society of Australia Inc.
Sydney Institute for Astronomy | School of Physics | Faculty of Science

THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
Rm 205, Physics Building A28
T +61 2 9351 3184  (forwarded when off campus)
E john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au<mailto:john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au>  | W  http://sydney.edu.au/science/people/john.obyrne
My work hours may differ from yours – I am currently not usually working on Mondays and Tuesdays.
If you receive this email outside your work hours, please don’t feel obliged to reply.



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