It’s interesting to read about the lives of those generous and encouraging souls who came before us. This is especially true of Charles and Eleanor Craig, a kind and gracious couple who will long be remembered both by their appreciative family and by their many friends at The University of Tulsa.
Charles Edward Craig, Jr. was described after his passing as a devoted husband, and as a devout, gracious, and joyful man. Born in 1915, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Charles, known as Charlie, graduated from Muskogee High School in 1932. He earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Oklahoma in 1937. After graduation, Charlie moved to Oklahoma City, where he worked for the P. Lorillard Company, selling Old Gold cigarettes.
On December 8, 1941, he joined the United States Navy, where he served as a Lieutenant on a submarine chaser. He participated in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 as a Communications Officer. After returning home to Tulsa, Charlie married Eleanor Elizabeth Roth, on June 29, 1946, and they became the parents of a son, Glenn John Craig.
After the war, Charlie worked as a wholesale salesman for the McCormick Schilling Company in Tulsa. Later in his career, Mr. Craig worked for Sun Oil, now Sunoco, in the credit department.
During their long and productive lives, Mr. and Mrs. Craig were active members of College Hill Presbyterian Church, where Charlie served as a deacon and an elder. They were also generous contributors to TU.
When Eleanor passed away in 1998 at the age of 84, Charlie established the Charles E. and Eleanor R. Craig Endowed Scholarship for Petroleum Engineering as part of a significant estate gift. Charlie passed away in 2011 at the age of 95.
This caring couple’s thoughtful financial planning continues to assist TU in recruiting and retaining deserving petroleum engineering students.
