Active alumnus, appeals court Judge Crahan passes away

St. Louis Daily Record & St. Louis Countian, Sep 1, 2005 by Erin Suess

Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Judge Lawrence G. Crahan died Aug. 29, at St. Luke's Hospital from complications after heart surgery. The St. Louis native was 55 years old.

It's really hard to put into words the role he played on our court and how important he has been over the years to our court and the job that we do, said Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Chief Judge Glenn Norton. He was one of the brightest, hardest-working judges that I have ever known; he was dedicated to getting the cases right and to feeling that he had it right every time, and he would work tirelessly to make sure that he got it right.

There is no way he can be replaced on our court, Norton added. We will get a good judge, . . . but in terms of his role and his stature and his intellect, I don't believe that we're going to be able to replace that.

Crahan was born to a military family in Guam, Marianas Islands, but received his higher education here in Missouri. Crahan earned his bachelor's degree in 1971 from the University of Missouri- Columbia and followed his family tradition by becoming an officer on active duty in the U.S. Naval Reserve, Amphibious Squadron Six, until 1974.

After his stint in the Reserves, Crahan went to the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. After graduating cum laude, he was admitted to The Missouri Bar in 1977 and served a one-year clerkship at the Missouri Supreme Court under the late Judge James A. Finch. When his clerkship ended in 1978, Crahan went to work in the corporate legal department of SBC and later served as a general attorney for AT&T.

Crahan married Linda S. Legg on Dec. 1, 1984, in St. Louis. Legg, an alumna of the University of Kansas School of Law, and Crahan both remained active in their alma maters, initiating annual programs for beginning law students to promote a concept of professionalism in law. Also in 1984, Crahan became a partner in the law firm of Armstrong Teasdale in St. Louis, where he chaired the conflicts and ethics committee and co-chaired the appellate practice section at the firm.

Crahan was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, on Oct. 23, 1992. He served as chief judge from 1997 to 1998.

Crahan was very active in the legal community, serving as a member of the Law Society at both the University of Missouri- Columbia School of Law and the University of Kansas School of Law as well as chairing the Administrative Law Committee of The Missouri Bar from 1988 until 1990. In 2001, he was the recipient of a Citation of Merit award for outstanding service to the legal profession from the University of Missouri School of Law.

Additionally, he belonged to such organizations as the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, for which he chaired the courts subcommittee from 1988-90; the St. Louis Bar Foundation; the UMC Law School Foundation, serving as a trustee from 1989-92; the DuBourg Society of Saint Louis University; Missouri Supreme Court Historical Society; and the American Judicature Society.

Among survivors are his wife, Legg; two brothers, James E. Crahan of Kansas City, Mo., and William P. Crahan of Lawrence, Kan.; two sisters, Ann T. Crahan of Lawrence, Kan., and Margaret M. Loyet of Florissant, Mo.; a niece, Melissa Marr; three nephews, Matthew Loyet, Mark Loyet and Ryan Kaser; his mother-in-law, Mary F. Legg of Wichita, Kan.; and a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, James M. Legg and Leslie Kaser, also of Wichita, Kan.

According to a statement released, Crahan donated his body to the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. A memorial celebration of Crahan's life will be held at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Noonday Club, located at One Metropolitan Square, 40th Floor, St. Louis.

The family requests no flowers. Memorial contributions may be made to the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, Law School Foundation, 205 Hulston Hall, Columbia, Mo. 65211.