Francis Vernon Le Craw was born on December 21, 1921 in Buffalo, New York, while his mother was visiting there. His parents were Edwin Francis Le Craw (born 23 November 1876 Argyle, Ontario - 13 November 1943 Lindsay, Ontario) and Mary. In October 1953 he married Eleanor Currie in Norland, who was appointed librarian for the Norland branch in 1967. In November 1977, he married Phyllis Greig in Coboconk.
In 1944, Vernon LeCraw finished his last university exam and immediately enlisted for World War II as an engineer. His father passed away while Vernon was at training camp. He went overseas and returned to the Norland area in 1946, where he put his energy into serving his community. Among his accomplishments: the Coboconk cenotaph and the creation of Norland volunteer fire department. He worked as clerk for the united townships of Laxton, Digby and Longford, as a firefighter, and ran the community water works. He served on the Norland cemetery board, the horticulture society, and seniors groups.
For the country’s centennial, LeCraw recorded the history of the northern townships in the book, The Land Between. The research archive he amassed was donated to the Kawartha Lakes Public Library.
The Vernon LeCraw Historic Forest Reserve was named in his honour in 2010.
LeCraw passed away 21 September 2012 in Lindsay, Ontario at the age of 90. He was posthumously awarded the Governor General’s Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal in 2013.
Books:
The Land Between (1967)
Sources:
https://gardenontario.org/wp-content/uploads/2012AnnualReport.pdf
kawarthalakeswriters.com 