Madame Jeanne Crawford was born in French Algeria and was a trained singer from an early age. In 1940, at the age of 19, she debuted at the French Opera in Paris. At the same time, German Nazi’s invaded France (WWII) and Madame Crawford found herself a war refugee making the 450-mile walk from Paris to Spain. On the way south, she slept in barns and hid in ditches as German planes strafed refugees on the roads. She crossed the Pyrenee Mountains on foot at night. Madame Crawford married an American soldier and moved to the US, living in Kansas and California. She taught French and Spanish at Servite from 1973 until her retirement in 1996, serving as Foreign Language Department Chair. Madame Crawford was deeply committed to her students, supporting them in their athletic and theatrical events. She was famous for her guided walking tours of Paris where she gained access to almost any establishment simply by using her family name. After her retirement, she stayed connected with Servite, doing calligraphy for student awards. Near the end of her life, she returned to live with her family in their estate in Mallorca.
