Colleagues Remember Ward Crutchfield

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – Former state Sen. Ward Crutchfield’s career was the story of impressive public service, and a scar on his record that could not be erased.

Sen. Crutchfield died over the weekend and we spoke with contemporaries who knew both sides of his story.

The images that ended the political career of perhaps the most powerful elected official in Chattanooga in the last 50 years…are hard to forget.

Ward Crutchfield was a player in what became known as the Tennessee Waltz investigation. It involved a group of individuals, including several others from Chattanooga, who were lured by a fake computer company set-up by the FBI.

They were convicted of trying to influence legislation after accepting money.

Crutchfield was accused of taking 3000-dollars. He was sentenced to home confinement–but the damage was done.

STUART JAMES, ATTORNEY, FORMER DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN “You know education was a big number one thing…and that UTC engineering building …he did that right before he

pled guilty in the Tennessee Waltz . And then there’s so much more that he did for equal rights, race relations, the city council thing ..he worked with Tommy Brown, he worked with Brenda

Turner, he worked with everybody in the legislature.”

JERRY SUMMERS “It’s tragic that the end of his political career, came to an end the way it did. He went from an Austin Schoolfield segregationist up to a champion of the African American community.”

After his conviction in 2008, Crutchfield kept a low profile for years. But his legacy remained.

STUART JAMES “What I want people to remember about Ward is he did great things for the state of Tennessee, he did great things for the city of Chattanooga …he was at the pinnacle of political power and he fell hard.”

JERRY SUMMERS “I think he did a heck of a lot more good for this community…than any fall from grace that he may have had at the end.”

Former Senator Ward Crutchfield was 87.