Fred Craig interview, 2020-10-26
Scope and Contents
D.C. Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) is a citywide initiative to train community members in oral history skills, fund new and ongoing oral history projects, connect volunteers with oral history projects, and publicize existing oral history collections. DCOHC is a project of DC Public Library, HumanitiesDC, and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. This collection contains oral history interviews, transcripts, and indexes produced by DCOHC grantees.
Dates
- Creation: 2020-10-26
Creator
- Craig, Frederick C. (Person)
Language of Materials
English
Biographical / Historical
Frederick C. Craig grew up in Washington D.C. in the Parkland neighborhood of Ward 8, across the street from Oxon Run Parkway. Having difficulty focusing during elementary school, Fred’s Father providing supplemental tutoring outside of school, which worked to vastly improve Fred’s reading cognition and speed. In 1968, Fred graduated from Balleu High School, and from Howard University in 1972. He and his wife, married in 1977, have twin children born 1978. Retiring from the D.C. government in 2008, Fred worked nearly 35 years across various arenas including D.C. Public Schools, D.C. General Hospital, and the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking. A member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Fred remained active as with the Pathfinders wilderness program for 30 years. Beginning at an early age, Fred cultivated an interest for native wildflowers, and identifying the various plants and trees he encountered. His knowledge increased under the mentorship of other wildflower enthusiasts and Pathfinders troop leaders. His passion for ecology continues to this day.
Extent
From the Collection: 1.13 Terabytes
Abstract
Fred Craig begins by describing some of his favorite memories with his family, and of time spent working on his family’s farm. Rarely playing indoors, Fred and his friends saw local forests and parks as their playground. And he would continue to hike the forests near Parkland until he was 25 years old. By that time, he had developed a budding interest in wild plant and tree identification, which only increased under the tutelage of experts and elders in the D.C. area. An active member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Fred joined the Pathfinders program and lead camping trips throughout the DMV for both children and adults alike. Describing the beauty and sacred stillness of Shenandoah National Park, Fred remembers how some D.C. youth, many of whom had never hiked or camped outdoors, adapted quickly and came to enjoy the forest environment. For youth in the Pathfinders program, he describes the significance of seeing the Milky Way on a clear night at high elevation. Referencing passages from the Bible and other Christian texts, Fred uses the natural world as a constructive framework for the Christian faith. He describes humans having a responsibility to act as stewards of Nature, as members of the Earth community. This oral history interview was conducted under a grant from Humanities D.C. to the Ward 8 Woods Conservancy.
Repository Details
Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository