George Crowe, former All-Star first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds passed away Tuesday night in Rancho Cordova, Calif. He was 89. Crowe played in the Negro Leagues and later with the Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals. In addition to his major league baseball career, Crowe was a excellent basketball player. He was the first Indiana Mr. Basketball award winner in 1939. This was at a time when the Ku Klux Klan still had a major presence in Indiana. He later played professionally for the Harlem based New York Rens and the Los Angeles Red Devils, the latter of which included Jackie Robinson.
Crowe lived in the Adirondacks until five years ago when he moved to California to be closer to his family. After suffering a stroke in late 2008, Crowe resided in an assisted living facility until his death earlier this week.
The reason I write about this is due to an article I read about Mr. Crowe many years ago in a magazine. It was one of those 'where are they now' features. It stated that Mr. Crowe lived alone in a remote cabin in the Adirondacks, one without electric, a Thoreau-like existence. I do not know how long he did that but I found it fascinating. I remember he stated that he missed his jazz records and his family thought he was crazy for living there, but Mr. Crowe had a great love of nature and wanted to live in such a setting. May your next journey be one of great peace and joy Mr. Crowe.
