Crowding, Walter Linwood

Walter Linwood Crowding (1894-1980) was born October 4, 1894 to Walter W. and Alice Rosebery Crowding. He grew up on his parents' farm in Kent County, Maryland, and was educated in the local public school system.

When he was 16, the family moved to Camden, New Jersey. There Crowding put himself through Strayer's Business College and attended night classes at Temple University, across the Delaware River in Philadelphia.

Having received the call to preach, he enrolled in Drew Theological Seminary and completed his studies in 1921. Crowding then entered Dickenson College in the fall of 1921, graduating in 1925 with A.B. and M.A. degrees. In June of 1946 Dickenson acknowledged his successful ministry by awarding him a D.D. degree.

Walter was married to Catharine Fredrick on June 2, 1928. The two raised three daughters: Viola, Catharine, and Barbara. During his time at Drew he had served two appointments in New Jersey. As a student at Dickenson, he was minister of the West Fairview-Summerdale appointment and the Dillsburg- Wellsville charge.

In 1922, Crowding joined the Central Pennsylvania Conference. Later, as a YMCA secretary, he served as a morale officer on troop trains during World War II. He held pastorates at Calvary Church, Berwick; Trinity Church, Harrisburg; Lewisberg; Waynesboro; First Church, Altoona; Sunbury, as district superintendent; and Shippensburg. Following retirement in 1963, he became the associate minister of Allison Church, Carlisle.

Among other things, Crowding served seven years as conference secretary and a number of years as dean of the Epworth League Institute at Newton Hamilton, Pennsylvania.

He was a member of various conference boards and commissions, including the boards of ministerial training, missions and trustees, and the Commission on World Service and Finance. Interested in furthering ecumenical efforts, Crowding participated in local church councils and in the Pennsylvania Council of Churches. Crowding was also a contributing writer for The Grit magazine.

Crowding's social conscience pervaded his life's work. In his student days he became a conscientious objector. Throughout his ministry, he involved himself in the causes of peace, world hunger relief, civil rights, and brotherhood. He regarded his participation in the civil rights march on Washington in August 1963 as a high point of his later years. Crowding died at his home in Carlisle on June 23, 1980.