Crews retires today after nearly 35 years

A native of Baker County, Fla., Crews claims he could skin a catfish before he was toilet trained. "I grew up so far in the country that we had to go toward town to hunt," he said. A graduate of Lake City Community College and the University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and literature, Crews is nonetheless an ardent Florida Gator fan. "I bleed orange and blue," he says. "You know how to get a Florida State graduate away from your door, don't you? You pay for the pizza."

While at junior college he was awarded a debate scholarship. "I guess they needed people for the debate team really bad," he said. "I gave a funny presentation in speech class and was offered a scholarship. I found myself debating kids who won scholarships because they were champion high school competitors. The Tim Tebows of debate. The first debate tournament I ever saw, I was in! It was humbling."

According to Crews, his team didn't win any tournaments, but they were spoilers and won a couple of debates.

He began his career in 1974 as a cooperative education student in public affairs at the then Naval Air Rework Facility, now Fleet Readiness Center Southeast.

"I was barely 21 and didn't know anything about the military," he said. "I once spelled naval 'navel.' Somebody asked me to write an article for the plan of the week (POW) about painting the ladies head. I thought the person was just crazy. I wasn't sure if there was really a 'POW,' but I was sure we were not going to paint anybody's head."

Crews was assigned to the Naval Supply Center Jacksonville, now Fleet Industrial Supply Center Jax (FISC), from 1980-99. He was the command public affairs officer, then command support director and foreign military training officer.

He says one of the highlights of his tour at FISC was managing the Foreign Military Training program, where he made each class of senior and junior trainees do the Gator Chomp before they could receive their diplomas. "They came to Jax from a stop at the Supply Corps School in Athens, Ga., where the University of Georgia is located," he said.

"They were barking at me when they got here. It had to be done. How I wound up with military officers from all over the world and didn't create an international incident is still a mystery," continued Crews.

Crews transferred to Navy Region Southeast Public Affairs in 1998. A big part of his job each year was to manage the media center for Fleet Week in Fort Lauderdale. "We had a hell of a team each year," he said.

"The faces changed but the makeup was the same. Active duty and reserve PAO's, officers and enlisted, civilians and military; all working together. We escorted South Florida reporters as well as national and international print and electronic media."

He said the media were not as savvy on military issues as here in Jacksonville. "Several times, I've taken reporters on board an aircraft carrier had them ask me, 'how many Soldiers are on this boat?'"

He became the NAS Jax PAO in 2006. "The only reason I have been successful in managing the media center during Fleet Week or managing the public affairs program for this base is because of the people around me," he said. "I've had the pleasure and good fortune of working with the finest professionals in the Navy. In fact, the staff in the NAS Jax PAO is the best staff in the world, in any profession. In my mind, no one has ever worked with any group of professionals as good as these guys."

"There are so many people here that I'll really miss. It goes beyond 'co-workers,' it goes beyond 'friends.' Many of the folks here, including my PAO cohorts at the region, NS Mayport and NSB Kings Bay, Ga., are a lot more like family to me. There will always be a special place in my heart for you," he continued.

"I am very proud of this base, from the commanding officer and executive officer down to the youngest Sailor. I'll always be proud to have been a part of the things we've accomplished here," added Crews.

When asked about his personal philosophy, Crews simply said, "I remember once when I was about five listening to my mother, father and grandmother talking about a funeral. I asked them why people were born and had to die. My grandmother, who was pretty hard of hearing said, 'Well, the collard greens unless your Uncle Frank comes over.' My parents just let it go and I haven't pursued any real philosophical thinking since that time," he said.

He and his wife, Mary Ann, plan to travel extensively in the near future. "Mary Ann grew up in New York City in Queens. We're great together, but at family reunions she sticks out like a bagel on a plate of grits," he said.

According to Crews, his family is analogous of fried catfish, grits and hushpuppies. "Mary Ann is a bagel with lox and cream cheese," he points out.

He is introspective about their backgrounds, though. "My wife is second generation Cuban and Irish. I tell folks back home that her ancestors were not fighting against our ancestors who left their farms to serve in the Civil War. They were all too busy digging potatoes and rolling cigars," he stated.

Crews doesn't have any immediate plans to go back to work. He explained that Mary Ann will continue working as a registered nurse.

"I'll be retired, so one of us has to be working steady," he said. "She is looking forward to having a house-husband. Of course, I won't be the kind that cooks and cleans house while she is working. I'm going to be a trophy husband who trains for 5K races and works on writing the great American novel all day."

His main hobbies are physical fitness and comprising his family genealogy.

Crews has a daughter, Heather, who resides in Orlando with her husband and their two children; and a son, Matt of Orange Park. He and Mary Ann also live in Orange Park but, "We don't plan on being home much," he says. "We'll do a lot of traveling once I retire. The sun will set between where we're going and home."