Chip Craver: A Kindly Presence Dead at 77
My younger brother, Forrest “Chip” Craver, is dead. He would have turned 78 this week on the 26th. Covid-related pneumonia got him.
Forrest E. Craver, III earned his living as a copywriter and fundraiser. But he was so much more. Chip was that rare and kindly presence whose outrage at injustice never dimmed, never gave up hope that good change would come.
Normally, I try to avoid personal reminisce in The Agitator. I make this exception not just because Chip was my brother but because his life should remind us of our profession’s shared past and our obligations to the causes we serve.
Every fundraising copywriter writes — or should — with an individual, a real person in mind. That audience of one informs the setting and style of the story, determines how the vision of a new and higher horizon should be portrayed, and reflects the determination to get things done for real human beings.
Chip and I grew up in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. While known for Pickett’s Charge and Lincoln’s Address it was also in the ‘40s and ‘50s a massive burial ground for the fallen from World War II and Korea.
My father was a florist and along with my mother, Chip and I got to know the families of the fallen buried in the National Cemetery because we provided the funeral flowers.
We got to know them and serve them year after year because Mother insisted that each time we placed flowers on a grave we photograph the wreath and send the picture along with a personal note to the family. And we had to do it within three days — the length of time in that pre-digital era it took a film processor to return the photos.
And we got to know about migrant labor in the surrounding Adams County, one of the nation’s largest producers of apples. That’s because every Saturday morning from the time we were 8 and 10 until we went off to college Dorothy Craver insisted that Chip and I join her picket line protesting the county hospital’s refusal to treat impoverished migrant workers who had no means to pay.
Long before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. we learned about civil rights when Dorothy determined it was time to integrate the local branch of the U.S. Postal Service. In a virtually all-white southern Pennsylvania town bordering on the Mason-Dixon Line this was not a popular stand. Even my decent, caring father balked. Balked until one evening at dinner Dorothy summarily announced there would be no sex until that post office was integrated.
She taught us to challenge local politicians who plied their back-room trade, only to find themselves exposed, chastised and even shamed at public meetings as Dorothy flanked by the brothers Craver took the floor to reveal and denounce their self-serving dealings.
Dorothy taught Chip and me to never be complacent or self-satisfied. Especially when it comes to claiming to advance the public interest or serving those in need. For the next 50 + years Chip restlessly, intensely and sometimes in the most eccentric manner pursued Dorothy’s mandate.
Chip graduated from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa and received his law degree from the University iof Detroit. After serving as a Captain in the 82nd Airborne Division he campaigned against the U.S. use of Agent Orange , the defoliant and herbicide used in Vietnam and associated with various forms of cancer.
For the first ten years of his fundraising and organizing career he tackled a range of social justice issues in both the US and globally through the Institute of Cultural Affairs. Next joined the team at Craver, Mathews, Smith & Company (CMS) as a copywriter and campaigner on behalf of the anti-apartheid movement to free South Africa, The National Council of Negro Women , the Christian Children’s Fund, and a range of Native American organizations and issues.
Jennie Thompson, one of CMS’s founders, in a note described Chip perfectly: “What a big-hearted man—with passion and humor and joy. And Ken Smith, another partner, perfectly described Chip’s sometimes unconventional working style, “he wrote a package that I didn’t see much future in, but he told me to ‘get out of the way’, and it turned out to be the control for months, and months and months.”
Chip left Washington 15 years ago and moved to Colorado to be closer to the Native American tribes that as a young man he lived with and treasured. There he pursued campaigns on their behalf and at the same time took up Tibetan Buddhism.
He is survived by his partner Prema Rose of Paonia, CO, his former wife Susan Musser Erickson of Denver, his sons Andrew and Joshua Craver, also of Denver and six grandchildren.
I’ve lost a brother and comrade in causes we both cared deeply about. His active, caring, kindly presence endures.
Roger
36 responses to “Chip Craver: A Kindly Presence Dead at 77”
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Chip was one of the first people I met when I came aboard at CMS. He was a delight then and will always be so in my memory. My sympathies to all who had the good fortune to know him.
Roger, my heart goes out to you, and to your family, over Chip’s passing. What a beautiful tribute you’ve written: in reading it I feel like I know him. Those of us whose lives are steeped in a quest for social equity and justice live best when those attributes are steeped in love. Chip clearly loved well, and your love for him shines through.
Peace, Laurence A. Pagnoni
So sorry to hear Roger. What a lovely tribute.
Brilliant tribute. I would add only “wry smart ass” which is high praise indeed. Condolences to all Cravers.
Roger,
Thank you. What a deeply thoughtful tribute to a brother who has made his own mark on this world, and left it all the better. Vicki joins me in expressing our sorrow for you, and for your entire family for the loss of your brother Chip.
So sorry Roger, all my thoughts and prayers are with you, your and Chip’s family. What a great tribute. Erica
A lovely tribute to your extraordinary brother, Roger. My sincere condolences. (And interesting to learn that your mother was the original American Lysistrata!)
So sorry Roger. I too had a younger brother who fundraised for progressive causes before he went back to school for a PHD in Canadian history. And we had a strong progressive mother. I lost my my brother John to throat cancer 14 years ago-way too soon. I stand with you.
Condolences to you and your family.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful tribute to your brother. One of the best compliments I can think of is to say your brother made an impact and left a legacy of a life well lived. I hope your memories bring some consolation at this difficult time. Deepest condolences.
A beautiful tribute, Roger – deepest condolences.
I am so very sorry for your loss, my condolences to you and your family.
My deepest sympathy for your loss and my heartfelt condolences to you and your family! A moving tribute for a very special man.
What a powerful tribute. My deepest sympathies to you and your family.
Roger, so sorry to hear about Chip, my friend and colleague from our work not only at CMS, but as the creative genius with my clients Church World Service (CWS) and the National Council of Churches. I remember visiting the National Council of Negro Women, a potential client, with Chip. Dorothy Height lit up when Chip entered the room! I loved our long plane trips and cars drives to and from Elkhart IN to visit our client where Chip told great stories. Today, I am in Capetown, so to honor your brother I visited the District Six Museum that shines a light on Apartheid as Chip’s work with Transafrica did. I also said a prayer for Chip today at Saint George’s Cathedral, the seat of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Chip wrote for the Archbishop during our CWS days. You, your family, Andrew and Joshua are in my thoughts.
So sorry for your loss. As always, your use of language is unmatched celebrating your brother’s passing. Sounds like you both had a lot of fun together with family standing up for what you believe. Thinking of you, my friend
I’m so sorry to hear this sad news, Roger. The portrait you paint of Chip is gracefully rendered. My sincere condolences.
Oh Roger, what a beautiful and meaningful tribute. I am so very sorry for your loss. -Harry
What a lovely tribute Roger. Sad for your loss. Also, a beautiful tribute to your badass, justice seeking mother! Legacy.
This has been a bad year for losing friends and family. So very sorry for your loss Roger.
I am so sorry to hear about your loss Roger. Your brother sounded like quite the human. My deepest sympathies to you and your families.
Roger, my condolences to you and your family, and to Chip’s partner Prema Rose, Susan, Andrew and Joshua. I shared the loft office in Falls Church with Chip and Carolyn Projansky when I was a proofreader at CMS, and Chip coached me in writing an appeal for CARE to raise money to fight starvation in east Africa — my first fundraising letter. I am sorry for your loss and thank you for sharing how you came to your life-long career for furthering causes that matter. Kate
Dear Roger
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of you beloved brother Chip. He sounds like a truly amazing person who lived by and through his stong beliefs in social justice and with a true passion for what he did.
Sending you big hugs from both Miryam and me.
Yours
Daryl
Roger,
I didn’t have the privilege of knowing your brother, but you describe an exceptional man who lived an amazing life. Your tribute also provides a lot of insight to who you are and how you and Chip were shaped. I am so sorry for such a grievous loss.
Steve
Roger, so sorry for your loss. Really appreciate this wonderful tribute to your brother. Denny and I send our love and condolences.
Roger, deepest condolences. I’m so sorry to hear that your brother’s bright light is gone. What a wonderful tribute. Loved reading about your mom, Dorothy!
Dear Roger,
Thank you for your beautiful and heartfelt tribute to your extraordinary brother. What an amazing life of service and devotion. Sending sincere condolences and very best wishes at this difficult time.
Roger–
What a beautiful tribute. I could see the mischievous, but driven Craver brothers, in his smile just as I see and hear it in your writings. I didn’t know Chip or your mother, but the apples all fell close to tree.
Deepest sympathies.
John
Dear Roger,
Thanks for a wonderful tribute to Chip, and to your parents. I appreciate you putting it in the Agitator because it will reach many people who didn’t know your brother, and who will appreciate all that he stood for. My condolences to you and your family, Harvey
What a well earned beautiful tribute. His memory will certainly be a blessing
Oh Roger, I’m so sorry for your loss – and for the loss to our world. Chip sounds like an amazing person. Thank you for sharing him with us today.
What a beautiful tribute to your brother. Thank you for sharing his story and yours. I’m so sorry for your loss. May his legacy live long in the lives he touched along his journey. It sounds like there were many… probably far too many to even count. Peace to you and your family.
Dear Roger, I would like to join the many illustrious and talented fundraisers who have paid tribute to your brother. He sounds like the kind of guy one should have known. I wish I had had that opportunity. With your beautiful tribute you have brought him back to life for those of us who never had the chance to meet him. Deepest condolences to you and the Craver family on your tragic loss.
Dear Roger, I would like to join the many illustrious and talented fundraisers who have paid tribute to your brother. He sounds like the kind of guy one should have known. I wish I had had that opportunity. With your beautiful tribute you have brought him back to life for those of us who never had the chance to meet him. Deepest condolences to you and the Craver family on your tragic loss.
Roger, I would like to join the many illustrious and talented fundraisers who have paid tribute to your brother. He sounds like the kind of guy one should have known. I wish I had had that opportunity. With your beautiful tribute you have brought him back to life for those of us who never had the chance to meet him. Deepest condolences to you and the Craver family on your tragic loss.
I worked with Forrest when we both were with the Institute of Cultural Affairs in Washington DC. He was one of the smartest, most caring and effective leaders we had. What I loved most about Forrest was his sense of humor something in the most difficult of times he never lost. His kind come around only rarely. May he Rest In Peace