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Officials at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) announced Mr. Jerry Crawford as the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Alumnus from the School of Human Environmental Sciences. Crawford will be formally honored during the Alumni Awards luncheon on Saturday, Oct. 7, at noon in the Calcagno Family Ballroom. All alumni and friends of the college are invited to attend. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and under, and may be purchased by contacting the NEO Development Foundation office at 918-540-6115. NEO’s “Peace, Love, and Homecoming” festivities will take place on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017. Crawford graduated from NEO in 1971 with an Associate of Arts in Computer Science. Born in Miami, Crawford and his family moved around the area as his father attended Oklahoma Baptist University and later began ministry in Grove. The Crawford family was very active in church and when they moved to Miami in 1971, Crawford chose to attend NEO. While at NEO, Crawford participated in a variety of student activities and was a regular attendee of Golden Norseman football games. Following NEO, Crawford went on to attend Central State University (now University of Central Oklahoma, UCO) majoring in Computer Science with a minor in marketing. During his college education, Crawford was a dedicated employee, working at Farrier’s Grocery while at NEO and later Greenhaw’s Grocery and Tinker Airforce Base while at UCO. He had also maintained contact with the owner of Westco Home Furnishings in Miami, who offered him the opportunity to buy into their computer service bureau. Crawford and a partner eventually bought out the company and transferred Computer Concepts, Inc. to Springfield, Mo. Following the rise of the personal computer, Crawford sold the company.

Following a period of management at Tandy Radio Shack, Crawford was selected by Jani-King Founder Jim Cavanaugh to be a regional director in 1987 and was promoted to the corporate office a year later. He quickly climbed the ladder at Jani-King and now serves as the CEO and President of Jani-King International, Inc. Over the past three decades, Crawford has been at the forefront on franchise development in the United States and abroad. He has served as the President and Owner of C & C Franchising, Inc., DBA Jani-King of Hampton Roads and Richmond, Va., President and CEO of Opportunity Franchising, Inc., DBA Jani-King of Illinois, Vice President and Owner of Jani-King Roanoke/Lynchburg, Va., Board of Directors Member on the International Franchise Association, and Board Director of the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas.

Crawford and his wife, Mary, have been married for 29 years and Crawford has 6 daughters and 11 grandchildren. When he is not busy with his various duties, he and his wife enjoy spending as much family time together as possible. Crawford is also a licensed pilot and enjoys flying his plane, playing golf, attending OU Sooner Football games, and traveling with his family. “It is an honor to recognize Jerry Crawford as this year’s Outstanding Alumnus for the School of Human and Environmental Sciences,” said Jennifer Walker, executive director of the NEO Development Foundation. “Mr. Crawford’s professional career and international business success sets a great example for our students on campus today.” For more information, contact Jordan Adams at Jordan.m.adams@neo.edu.