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Clarksville mourns passing of former Mayor Ted Crozier

Mayor McMillan orders flags flown at half-staff in his honor

City of Clarksville - Clarksville, TNClarksville, TN – Former Clarksville Mayor Ted Crozier Sr., who devoted his life to family, country and community, died Monday from a respiratory illness at the age of 91.

Col. Crozier served in the U.S. Army for 32 years, retiring at the rank of colonel in 1977. He served as the first Commander of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell and was the first aviator to serve as the chief of staff for the 101st Airborne Division.

Former Clarksville Mayor Ted Crozier Sr.
Former Clarksville Mayor Ted Crozier Sr.

In November 1978 Col. Crozier was elected Clarksville Mayor, and was re-elected to a second term in 1982.

In all, he would hold the office for eight years. As mayor he is credited with expanding the city and ensuring economic growth by  leading the effort to annex St. Bethlehem in the 1980s. This move led to the addition of Governor’s Square Mall and expansion of the retail district around Interstate 24 at Exit 4.

To honor Col. Crozier, Mayor Kim McMillan ordered that flags at all city facilities shall be lowered to half-staff effective immediately and returned to full-staff at sunset on the day of his interment.

“I’m deeply saddened by the passing of former Mayor Ted Crozier, who was a dear friend and close adviser to me for many years,” Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillan said Monday. “Ted gave decades of honorable service to our country as an Army officer, and his love for Fort Campbell expanded into his devotion to Clarksville.

“Mayor Crozier and a key group of his Army colleagues understood how drawing Fort Campbell and Clarksville closer together would be good for both, and he worked tirelessly to close the gap between the installation and the City.

“Ted helped all of us value the unique relationship between the city and Fort Campbell, and he inspired me to create a formal Military Liaison office within City Government,” Mayor McMillan said. “He truly was a visionary leader, and one of the architects of the strong and thriving Clarksville we enjoy today.”

Col. Crozier also presided as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Fort Campbell Historical Foundation and added his expertise and leadership to many local organizations over the years.

A stretch of roadway connecting Warfield Boulevard and Wilma Rudolph Boulevard bears the name Ted A. Crozier Sr. Boulevard to honor his legacy.

A Celebration of Life ceremony will be at 1:00pm Saturday, January 14th at Madison Street United Methodist Church with Rev. Cliff Wright officiating, according to McReynolds-Nave & Larson Funeral Home, the mortuary in charge. Burial with full Military Honors will follow at Greenwood Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 2:00pm-8:00pm Friday, January 13th at McReynolds-Nave & Larson Funeral Home and from 11:00am until the hour of service on Saturday at Madison Street United Methodist Church.

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