By Michael D. Wynne
There has lived among us great women and men that we usually only read about in history books. But some of the greatest of the great are women and men who seek out futures of adventure and the exploration into unknown realms. We, ourselves, can only hope that these people will step forward and serve our nation and our world as they will do things that none of us would ever dream or even consider doing ourselves.
Albert Hanlin Crews, Jr., a humble and good man, a man who could be anyone’s next door neighbor or just someone who sits in a pew next to us during church service, did live here amongst us. In fact, until his sad passing in June of 2025, maybe we could have sat at his feet to hear his tales of his exploits and notable life’s experiences. I would have happily sat and listened and learned from him. But, alas, due to his unneeded humbleness of nature, I did not know that he was even my CenLa neighbor, but simply just another good man in our community who lived a life well worth knowing.
Born in Arkansas, raised in the Holloway community, a 1946 graduate of Buckeye High School and later Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now ULL) in Lafayette in the field of Chemical Engineering in 1950, Albert went on to get his Masters of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1959.
But long before he received his Masters, he was a Jet Pilot for the Air Defense Command for 5 years starting in 1952. Due to his exemplary work, he went on to perform one of the most dangerous jobs in existence in the field of flying – becoming a test pilot for the Air Force’s new and often secretive projects. Many of the test pilots in this field end up as casualties, but Albert’s innate skills, training and knowledge far exceeded what most any man could ever accomplish and he thrived in challenges. The U. S. Air Force then was the original cutting edge in the development of the space age.
In April of 1962, Albert was featured in a Town Talk article as one of 8 potential new astronauts to be selected from 55 test pilots who volunteered for “space duty.” It was noted back then that Albert was actually “more qualified” to become an Astronaut than any of the original 7 Mercury Astronauts!
By 1963, Albert was now an instructor training the new test pilots who were coming aboard, including many future astronauts, and he remained in that position for many years. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) soon picked him as one of their key personnel for their important manned space program, the program that became the greatest human endeavor in world history.
In total, Albert spent 23 years in the U. S. Air Force, 7 ½ of which were spent classified as a USAF Astronaut. During his years as an Astronaut, he served in the 2 manned space programs, the Dynsoar and Manned Orbital Laboratory (MOL) programs, both of which were fundamental programs for the later Space Shuttles and Space Station.
Albert was the first officially named Astronaut ever to come from Louisiana. He would spend 27 years at NASA in various critically important positions in the astronaut directorate and in NASA Flight Operations, including, but not limited to, as a research pilot. He also served as the pilot who trained other NASA Astronauts by setting up orbital and lunar simulations for them.
On August 20, 2025, The Louisiana Legislature honored this remarkable man with a posthumous commendation. In the Legislatures’ press release of this event, it said in part: “…throughout his life, Crews exemplified dedication, innovation and service to his country. His pioneering spirit opened doors for future generations of scientists, engineers and astronauts.”
Crews later lived in Florida with his wife and 3 daughters, but made frequent return trips to Buckeye. May this great man never be forgotten in CenLa, or around the world.
